Pokémon: Road of the Master
by Lezaroth
Summary: Ash, a boy who was born in Pallet Town, started his journey together with his friends. He became a legend for his strengths and captured many legendary pokémon. History records him as the true Aura Guardian. Some know him as the Chosen One, others know him as their Hero. This is the story of Ash Ketchum and his friends. A story of their journey to become a master. T for language!
1. Prologue of the Master

**Hello guys! I've decided that I didn't really like Journey of a Lifetime. It felt like I was just using Ash as an excuse to write an OC story. I have also skipped far too many episodes which I can actually use for character progress.**

 **With this story I intend to do the following: Ash will have tons of power but nearly no control in the beginning. He, thanks to an accident, will be capable of understanding the Mon language and experiment with Aura.**

 **Now what did I do to make him special? What makes him different from other stories? He'll be different from his hyperactive self, thanks to Gary's influence as a child. He learns the importance of knowledge. He _creates_ something for such a thing, in order to make his journey better. I will not completely BS their growth and the pokémon's power nor will I grant them an egg pool worthy of the Japanese (no offense) efforts. I may go BS on their power such as not limiting myself to levels but hey, gotta make some overpowered Chosen One. Expect a Pikachu that absorbs lightning from storms for years to be capable of a Raichu's electric powers. Doesn't mean he won't lose a single battle though. **

**As for his traveling partners… Brock has to stay. Instead of simply caring for Ash and his traveling partner, he will be studying medicine and special recipes for pokémon growth with Ash. He will also train as I never liked how Brock still had a Geodude after so freaking long. Just give him a Golem already! What about that Vulpix? Why not capture more for himself? Brock practically stopped catching wild Pokémon after Zubat and followed Ash's principles of the way of talk-to-join.**

 **Just a heads up to many: Ash will only capture 6 pokémon for a team. The rest will have other reasons. The reason why is simply because he can't take care of hundreds of pokémon so I limited it to 60. This means he will only capture 60 pokémon during the journeys up to Kalos and after that I will re-do Hoenn due to Alpha Sapphire. A note I'd place here is that I might consider more by then due to reasons. Reasons I have noted very detailed in a file on my computer.**

* * *

Ash was always hyperactive as a child. He has been crawling around the house in very short months and was always trying to learn and do new things. Even now, at the summer camp for the little kids to introduce them to the world of Pokémon, he was the same.

He was pretty small for a child and had spiky black hair. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown that revealed unveiled curiosity to everything around him and his cheeks had small marks on them. To be honest, most of the girls found him cute. Of course, those girls could be considered 16 to 20 and often thought of him as a little brother figure.

Right now he is staying at the pokémon camp that Professor Oak hosts for children in Pallet Town and other nearby towns. Ash had always been close friends with Gary, the grandson of Professor Oak. Ever since they learned to speak they began to look around for new things together and they often found themselves in adventures far beyond their age. Right now was such a thing occurring… and this time they messed up.

A large Golem roared as the two boys were looking around in a cave for any possible gems or rare stones they could keep. This was obviously its territory… and let's not forget that the two boys are away from camp because they stepped out of line during their curiosity.

The Golem growled and wondered why children were in its territory. Human children at that! This is his haven and he'll get them out no matter what! It roared and ran after the boys who quickly scrambled up on their feet and ran out of the cave screaming. Both boys were holding a stone. Ash carried a fire stone whereas Gary was holding a water stone. They found them just before the Golem roared and was about to celebrate until this happened…

"Run away! Mad pokémon!" Both boys screamed and Ash unknowingly sent out a large distress signal with his aura. Gary similarly did the same with a burst of psychic energy that attracted another trainer. Golem though, found it insulting and ran after them again.

That was until they, during their panic tripped. At least, Gary did… and Ash was looking at him with fear clear in his eyes. Fear to lose his friend.

"Ash! Run away okay, call for help!" Gary called out in panic before the Golem got closer and growled… that was until Ash revealed a nature that later on would cause so much trouble in his life.

Ash stood in front of Gary and his eyes just began to glow blue. He wouldn't let his best friend get hurt, pokémon be damned! Even if Arceus her- or himself would descend from the skies to use Judgement on Gary Oak, Ash would take it and protect him!

His aura, yet again, bursted and attracted the pokémon that was now running at their direction. Riley, who followed the pokémon at a very fast speed for a human was wondering why his pokémon acted like that… until he felt the second burst.

Gary's eyes widened at Ash's brave yet stupid actions. Well, you can't blame a child for this can you? He did admire Ash for this however.

Ash couldn't help but flinch when the Golem was walking closer and the earth just shook as it came closer and closer. Ash wouldn't budge however - he'd never leave behind his friends!

Friendship. A beautiful thing that many would appreciate… Gary now felt what it meant to have a real friend and now his psychic energy bursted again. Two children, one of Aura that was destined to lead and fight whereas the other was one of Psychic to search and solve. Two friends connected by this funny thing known as fate.

A loud cry was heard as a blue blur came in and smashed the Golem away despite its weight. In front of the boys stood a Lucario - though they didn't know that yet - and even now Ash was looking straight at the Jackal Pokémon with fierce determination as if judging it if it will attack or not.

The Lucario had to hide a smirk… This child, _this monster_ , he repeated in his mind. The amount of Aura the Lucario could feel was startling and it showed why Ash was always so hyperactive. A Lucario can feel the amount of Aura around itself and now nearby Ash it felt like it was standing to something akin to Aura with a human skin. That child must feel a sugar rush every second of his life!

" _Gollleeem!"_ Roared the rock/ground type pokémon as it used rollout to reach the Lucario for its offensive action against him.

"Lucario, catch it now the rollout is weak and throw it back. Use aura sphere afterwards," a calm and collected voice could be heard and the two boys immediately looked at the new arrival. It was a young boy, perhaps 15 years old. He wore a blue outfit that was strikingly similar to an aura guardian.

" _Lu… Cario!_ " The mentioned pokémon grunted and lifted the heavy pokémon with what looked like ease. Gary and Ash could only stare in awe at what was happening, their former uncontrollable energy subsiding as they were watching their first official battle with complete focus.

After throwing the Golem to a safe distance the Lucario charged a large blue orb in between its two paws and 'fired' it at the Golem. The orb promptly exploded and knocked the Golem unconscious.

A psychic trainer remained in the distance as the trainer recognized that there was no longer any danger. Lucian had to hide a smirk - his rival Riley had always had this hero complex. Despite not being a real psychic he had the ability to sense the energy and came rushing in himself to find Riley saving the two young boys.

"Woooaaaah," both boys were awed and Ash just looked at Riley and Lucario with wide eyes as if he felt some kind of connection. Gary however, also felt the other person before the psychic energy left him completely and he looked behind him. Despite having a few scratch wounds from falling he quickly pointed behind him.

"Another pokémon or person!" He warned as Riley instantly sent the Lucario on the poor soul… which was promptly met by Lucian's Gallade.

Lucario recognized the pokémon immediately. They were rivals themselves after all...

"Lucian? What are you doing here?" questioned Riley as he looked at the other teenage boy.

"The same as you. Felt energy," A curt reply, short and simple.

Gary had to blink a few times as he stared at the Gallade… now both boys were completely mesmerized by the respective Pokémon types.

"Cool!" Both boys shouted as they ran at the pokémon. Ash went to Lucario and Gary went to the Gallade. It was perhaps instinct, but they went to their respective types.

Both pokémon just chuckled and Lucario used Aura to speak to the children. _"Hello young Chosen,"_ Riley was shocked! This boy was the chosen?! _"You're lucky we were nearby."_

Ash blinked a few times as he stared at the Lucario. It seems Gary had a similar reaction to a Gallade using telepathy to talk to him.

"YOU SPEAK!" Both boys screamed in excitement and the other four presences couldn't help but snort. Such a reply full of innocence and brimming curiosity… They couldn't blame them though.

This was the start of Ash and Gary's growth. Whilst both wouldn't capture their respective type yet, they received minor instructions and began to practice on their own. Of course due to both boys being 'prodigies' in their own right, they could read and comprehend knowledge much better than other children. As expected of those who are blessed with power.

 _A small mistake, however, was letting children do things on their own. Either by being too trusting or simply forgetting in Riley's case. Can't blame a yet-to-reach aura guardian for such a mistake though._

* * *

That was what happened 2 years ago. Both boys were now 6 years old and their friendship was the same as before. The difference however is that they were much different mentally and emotionally.

Gary was far calmer than before and could absorb knowledge as if he was drinking water. His mind, thanks to meditating and processing psychic energy, worked far better than a normal person's - or _boy's_ in this case.

Ash became the same as Gary after a small incident. Both boys, five at that time, were in the Oak Ranch, at their secret base that was made by requesting a friendly pokémon to help them and studied the use of Aura and Psychic energy to apply it to their bodies.

Whereas Gary was hesitating, Ash did it without thinking. He was still hyperactive due to not having enough meditation lessons to subdue the massive amount of Aura and now it supplied his body without any control. The change was nearly instantly… Ash shouted and rolled on the ground in pain but Gary had to watch in worry and morbid fascination at the changes his friend was going through.

Ash was holding his eyes as he added far too much aura. His skin became paler and the small marks on his cheeks began to disappear. His once spiky black hair began to go down as if they were finally controlled and it was only out of pure survival instinct that Ash finally learnt how to control the amount in his body. Survival instincts are like pokémon learning a new move - they activate and you won't forget.

The damage however was done. Ash opened his eyes and there was a small trail of blood and tears that leaked from them. His eyes were now a maroon color that Gary had to admit showed dominance.

"W-what happened… I feel weird, calm," Ash choked out. His voice hurt from screaming so loud and Gary offered a glass of water that he greedily drank.

Of course, Gary couldn't stay silent. "You idiot! Using Aura out of nowhere wasn't a good idea! Warn me!" Gary was obviously worried and good reason for doing so. The other boy had bled from his eyes and cried in pain.

"I-... I know. I should have thought about it," Ash really regretted his actions. Something was weird though… "Gary, why can I see much clearer and why don't I feel the urge to run around?" He asked as the control was increased due to survival instincts - thus not yet knowing why.

Gary had to blink before shrugging and told Ash of his changes… Man, that Gary Oak was capable of ignoring his best friend bleeding from the eyes. Well, Ash did sound fine so that must've had an effect.

That was up until Ash egged him to do it in minor amounts. Gary was always the one that had better control - as expected of a Psychic - so he should be able to boost himself as they speculated. Gary did do it this and he felt like time slowed just a little. His brain worked overdrive and he had so many thoughts in short seconds that it felt like time nearly didn't pass. Good thing it was in lesser amounts because if it wasn't, he might've received mental damage.

"W-Wow… I just felt like time stopped for a bit. I could think really fast Ash! This is awesome!"

The start of their journey began. One as a trainer, the other as a researcher.

* * *

The boys soon ran towards Oak's Lab, intending to explain everything to Oak. While Ash still had some small trails of blood on his cheeks the pokémon around him seemed to be more likeable to him now… and he could hear them talk!

Gary obviously became jealous but didn't say much. Ash suffered for this and Gary understood that if Ash can do it, he will be capable of doing it in the future as well.

The two boys spotted a man's back as they reached the entrance and instantly glomped his legs.

"Gramps! / Professor Oak!" Both cheerful voices came out as Oak turned around and nearly fainted at seeing Ash have blood on his face… and his eyes became red? What in the name of Arceus?

"We did something really cool! I can understand pokémon and I don't feel like running around all day anymore!" Ash started but Gary was eager to join as well. "I can make myself think really, really fast!"

Oak had to stare at the boys in front of him. His grandson sounded like he had the abilities of a psychic… perhaps it was because of the mental stress they received as children when they ran from the Golem?

Yes, Oak knew of it.

 _No, Delia did not know of it._

The two boys were once brought back, carried by pokémon as they moved with Riley and Lucian's main pokémon, to Oak and they explained what happened to the poor children.

In the end, it seemed that it had benefits though… Oak couldn't deny the giddiness he felt - Psychics could always think much clearer than others. Gary would pretty much pick up his legacy and reach further than he ever did himself.

"Well, well boys. I'm impressed.. but Ash, you should clean yourself." Oak tried to calm them down, but then got a stern look. "This, however, does not excuse your actions! It's very dangerous to simply try those things out!"

Gary flinched but Ash looked at the man with determination.

A smirk was on the boy's lips. "I will do anything for my friends! Controlling what that really cool Lucario has is just the beginning! After I get strong enough and I become a trainer, I will become a pokémon master… and then I intend to have a reaaaally big family and protect them all!"

Oak had to admit, he was impressed. It seems Ash really had guts.

Gary did gain some bravado from Ash's words. "Yeah Gramps! I want to become a strong trainer too, but I think I like research as well. Is it possible to be a battling professor?" He asked innocently.

Oak just laughed at their actions. So much innocence and yet they did things adults would dream of.

"Alright kids… How about this idea?" Oak offered to extend a branch to them. They had big dreams. Gary and Ash would become trainers, one to reach the top of the mountain of trainers and the other to become a researcher.

The two boys just tilted their heads. "What are you thinking about?"

"I offer you two, while you're still young and not attending school yet, to get private study lessons with me!"

The two boys' eyes became wide at that. Professor Oak offered to teach them? Oak? The man who made the pokédex - and was once a champion?!

Let alone his professor status, the man was a certified teacher up until actual university grades and they could learn a lot… Especially Gary.

"But that's not all. Ash, you can speak to pokémon right? I want you two to do something for me." The old man crouched down as a few pokémon surrounded them in interest. Especially a few fighting and psychic types, they felt the boys their energy.

Oak smiled like a grandfather, which he is, but only to Gary. Ash always liked to call him gramps when they were alone too… It's such a shame that his father ran away when he was younger.

"I want you two to make something like I have. A special guide to train pokémon on the road, a guide that makes even the youngest trainer capable of training their pokémon new moves and basic strategies. Let's call it a Pokémon encyclopedia."

Their eyes were wide in interest and big smiles got on their faces.

"Of course gramps! If Ash can talk to them and tell me what they say, we can both figure out ways to use it and train them!"

"Hahaha! I'm interested now boys. While we study, I intend to spend half a day on book works and half a day practical. It is important to keep in shape as a trainer, and learning through physical means is very useful at a young age as well!"

Both boys cheered as they ran to Ash's home. Gary's parents had passed away in an unfortunate accident so he was often found living at the Ketchum Residence. Heck, even professor Oak would stay over at times.

 _It definitely wasn't because Delia could cook so amazingly well. It also definitely wasn't that Delia was considered one of the best chefs in the world and owned a small restaurant._

* * *

"Mom!" Two cheerful voices shouted out. They ran for a good 20 minutes to their house and Ash wiped his face clean meanwhile. "We're home and we have really cool news!"

Delia cheerfully walked up to them. Behind her was a Mr. Mime named Mimey. This Mr. Mime served customers their food while a Clefable and Blissey helped her cook and clean.

Speaking of those two, the two pokémon happily cheered and offered to make food just by seeing them and noticing the time. They always focused more on cooking than other things.

 _"What would you like, Ash, Gary?"_ Blissey's lovely voice reached their ears and if they knew well it was very similar to a nurse Joy's.

"I'd like some pancakes for dinner this time Blissey! What would you like, Gary?" Ash spoke as if he knew what the Blissey said… wait. _He did_.

Blissey stood there, frozen, as it she was staring at the Ketchum boy. He definitely replied to her question.

Delia rose an eyebrow in _interest_.

"Mmm… I'd also go for pancakes." Gary's stomach grumbled just thinking about it. The two boys had similar interest in food after all!

Delia giggled softly. "You two are so silly… But what did you mean by cool things?" Her voice was filled with interest. Her Blissey was still standing there in shock, but why? Was it because of what Ash said?

"Ash can speak with pokémon now and he got cool eyes! His hair became straight too, weird. Meanwhile, I, the awesome Gary Oak can now think so fast I can plan a lot of things before doing an action. It gives me a reaaally big advantage to becoming a professor too! I feel like I can remember everything too!"

Delia just giggled. Was this a child's fantasy?

Ash didn't like that though. He could feel that his mom didn't believe him!

"It's the truth! Clefable, tell me what mom complained about today!"

The Clefable who stayed a little silent blinked now. Really, they wanted to know? Clefable got an evil smile in return.

" _Delia was complaining that her panties were being a pain and didn't wear a bra._ " The evil mastermind was indeed smart to tell the innocent boy that. After all, it just went in over his head.

Ash relayed what Clefable said and Delia stood frozen before a smile appeared…

 _and behind her stood something akin to Giratina's face._

Ash and Gary, understandably hid behind Mr. Mime who was having the perfected version of a deadpan expression. Clefable shrieked in terror whereas Blissey instantly got to her senses and ran away to leave the Clefable with the mad mother.

"Now, now, Clefable… You did not just tell my dear son such things. I do _not_ appreciate that."

For some reason, that Giratina look-a-like face got red eyes that _glowed_.

"You won't do it again, _right_?" Her voice gained a hint of what Clefable could detect as pure danger.

Now pokémon were much tougher than humans… but humans can be scary in their own rights so nobody could blame the Clefable for nodding and quickly running to help Blissey. Mr. Mime, who stood in front of the slightly terrified boys, let out a loud sigh.

" _Sometimes I wonder if I should've taken the offer to join that circus… nah._ "

Ash was curious about what Mimey said but held back asking and Delia's smile soon became normal. "So Ash, Gary… what else would you like to tell me? I really believe you two.. and Ash, you better explain why your eyes are red and your hair became 'normal'. I expect those answers after dinner young man!"

Gary had to hold back a laugh… Ash's face was filled with terror. Standing in front of a raging wild pokémon? No problem. Dealing with a mad woman, who is also your mother? Not even Arceus, if Arceus had a mother, would dare do such a thing.

Thinking about mothers, Gary had to think about what his life would be without the Ketchums. Would he be friends with Ash, or perhaps be some arrogant kid that boasted his gramps' name?

Ah, such troubling thoughts but he soon got back to normal. He had to tell her the news after all! That stupid Ash was too terrified to speak.

"Well, gramps promised to teach us instead of making us go to school!"

Delia was, understandably, ecstatic. Samuel Oak was a man that did not do favoritism and that meant her two little boys had real potential! Despite the anger later on in that day, she promised to provide them as well as she could. After all, the boys had to grow well and become strong - right?

* * *

It was around 8 PM, before bedtime for lots of children, a loud scream was heard. It sounded like a girl but Oak, who had just left his lab, took in a deep breath and began to laugh loudly. That was definitely Ash… and it sounded like bliss for him. For once, the old man wasn't the target of Delia's terrifying smile!

It still took a lot of effort to hide his pizza purchases though.

* * *

The next day both Gary and Ash woke up and got dressed. They went downstairs for some breakfast and spotted their mother and grandfather there.

"Good morning!" Two cheerful voices, that could brighten any mood, reached their mother's ears. Ash still had a twitching hand after looking at his mother though. That smile… That _unholy_ smile. Oak just chuckled at seeing Ash do that. He understood all too well.

"Ah good morning my boys. We'll start our lessons today, if that is okay with you?"

Ash and Gary smiled widely and Oak had to chuckle again. They will definitely become Pallet Town's pride and who knows? Perhaps they'll become a part of the history of Pokémon.

He never knew how right he would be in the future. One known as the trainer who never gave up and reached the pinnacle of power and the other who created so many things and saved countless lives in the process.

Seeing them nod, Oak returned it. "Well boys… After you've eaten, let's go."

Delia giggled. She always did when seeing this, it was just the innocence that made her unable to do anything but that. A family that she dreamed of, even if her former husband left her, was here.

The family had a peaceful breakfast and Oak used his Alakazam - after kindly asking of course - to teleport them. Instead of the usual parts in the lab they'd see, this one was filled with books. A giant library full of knowledge from elementary school to university, from pokémon types to all known moves to men and Mon.

"For the first half of the day, up to 3 P.M. you will study here. I will choose books that you must read and I will let you two study on your own at first. I know the both of you are smarter than you look." Oak taunted them on their looks and they fell for it as he could practically feel them bristle at the insult. They were both!

Then, the professor let out a loud chuckle. "If you manage to do that, I will do the practical lessons. Boys, you will study not just the language and maths but also science and history. History shows you what has happened and opens your eyes to the world. It also shows many tactics that are often forgotten for in battle. Science will teach you what moves you may possibly combine or perhaps create. There have been instances of such a thing like Flame Charge, which turned into Flame Wheel. Next is maths. You need to be able to count your money and live on your own, thus such a thing is needed. Then you have language. This will only be taught until you can write proper essays in order to fill the encyclopedia.

Boys, do remember. After you finish that the practical lessons begin. For the first half year I will not let you start the creation of the encyclopedia but instead learn to survive off of the wild and interact with various pokémon. This is a valuable thing for many and young trainers often forget to do this."

Gary and Ash nodded. They agreed with his thinking and Gary thought a little bit about moves for in the future. Combining moves will indeed be interesting, but to actually use them properly? That's going to require teamwork with Ash until they get the hang of it.

They did see Ash's frown at so much paper work… but this for his future, his dream! From that day on the Oaks would learn that a motivated Ash does not falter. The same obviously counts for Gary.

* * *

Three years passed since they studied under Professor Oak. Both boys were now 8 years old and just celebrated their birthday where Oak promised them a gift for when they turned 10. Trainers may only officially leave once they become 12. Originally it was 10 but many adults found that irresponsible. The rate of children going missing was terrifying.

The first year they had learnt a lot and surprised Oak by reaching high school material. It seems that even at home they discussed ideas, pointers and knowledge. Heck, the two of them already made a theory of making pokémon capable of using moves that they originally can't! Why can't a Pidgeot use Extremespeed, but can do Quick Attack? They're known to be one of the fastest species of Pokémon!

So they developed methods and heck, they taught a wild Pidgeot how to use extremespeed! It did, in return, grant them full permission to stay in Viridian Forest in the future and even guard them with fellow Pidgey, Pidgeotto and Pidgeot. Arceus, which Pidgeot wouldn't do that for granting it the fastest move known?!

Aside from that, the practical lessons went well. Ash and Gary were survivalists to the limits. They stayed in Viridian Forest for a whole week with one of Oak's pokémon as protection and fed themselves. Of course both of them stayed away from each other.

They were even battling wild Beedrill, Spearow and Fearow to protect innocent pokémon whilst trying to survive there! They did mention that at the end, they wanted a good cooked meal. They said that they did not want to hunt innocent pokémon for food so they lived off of wild berries and such.

Not that that was bad. Berries had all nutrients needed for the body.

Now, to connect with pokémon… One had to say that Ash was a natural. Pokémon followed, listened and protected him like their lives depended on it. He was often the one who stopped fights at the ranch and dissolved them through speech now. Gary was nearly the same. He had a smart mind and knew what to do to attract a pokémon as well as keep them at their happiest. It was just that they were not as hardcore close with him as they were with Ash.

Trainers, who used Oak as a supporter, often fumed at the boys when their usually hardheaded pokémon turned into jelly by their petting sessions. Oak in return just laughed loudly when they complained to him that they feared that the kids will take away their pokémon.

Well, he was jealous himself that his old friend, Dragonite, was the same. He struggled so hard for that damned Dragon to listen and appreciate him but at the first meeting the Dragon pokémon was kind and even flew them around.

As a result the two boys were often seen flying around towns and forests. They went to many towns nearby such as Viridian 'City' though they still never understood why it's called City being so small. Viridian Forest was practically their third home and then came the islands nearby! Oh, the exotic pokémon loved to stay with them.

Gary once returned on top of a giant Gyarados, waving at Oak. That day Delia went, in Oak's very reasonable words, _batshit crazy_ and scared off even the Gyarados who did stay to at least say goodbye to the boys.

They were plain sad when Delia told them to not hang around dangerous pokémon. Didn't she see that the Gyarados was nice? Even the rest of its kind was nice when they tried hard enough to be friends! They're just largely misunderstood because of their rage during evolution.

It was, thanks to them, that Oak found out the reason a Gyarados could be so dangerous. A Magikarp has three main reasons to evolve: Survival, to protect and out of sheer rage. Sadly it is the third option that trainers manage to get. After all, they _hate_ a weak Magikarp.

Yes, Oak was very disappointed when they mentioned what many Gyarados said.

Now eight year old boys were meant to still go around and play, but these two were different. They were already halfway through their encyclopedia and they made special menus for many pokémon. Even the ones outside Kanto were being documented thanks to the help of other professors. They too were extremely interested in the young children and their idea. A result of such efforts to work together? They even got to meet with a Hydreigon which is known to be a being of pure destruction.

...The result, however, made professor Juniper want to kidnap them to study their human bodies. The Hydreigon _liked_ them. It _licked_ them and _played_ with them. It was even _kind_ to other pokémon!

Oak was, and he damn right deserved to do so, often boasting to other professors about his new apprentices and they all helped out as much as they could to see the children their efforts come true. The professors even began to study things together that the children found out during their talks with pokémon. They learned very interesting things such as why a Pokémon follows a trainer after being caught.

Naturally, professors would secretly use their names for their theories and confirmed knowledge. The pokémon league appreciated the two boys very much for doing these things. It's a secret to the boys themselves though.

But outside of those experiences the boys were always together with a pokémon. Whether it's a wild or trained one they got along with everyone. The other children sometimes called them freaks because they were so much smarter… well, almost all children did. A cute girl named Rosa Leafgreen was not one of them.

Actually, Rosa joined their lessons and soon became 'Leaf' as she was often confused with her mother who was named Rose.

Leaf often joined them in their small adventures and became good friends with the boys and pokémon. Unlike them, she was a born prodigy without any special abilities. She however had motivation and determination on their levels… thus making her an equal in their eyes. Not that they looked down on others who didn't have any motivation or determination though. No, they just disliked that they did things half-assed. _Delia still scares them when they say it out loud so it's often in their heads._

It was because of that that she learned many things with the best of their respective talents. Ash who excelled in practical things and Gary who excelled in knowledge. Leaf became a mixture of these things making her more balanced compared to her friends.

Oak often wished that he could keep the girl as an assistant. She was kind enough to give him backrubs and shoulder massages after a long, long day! His heart silently weeped that the other children just stayed with the pokémon after long lessons and practice because he would've loved to join them. His old body just couldn't. But seeing them grow up, those three will make him proud.

The progress of the encyclopedia was sped up thanks to Leaf. It was good news that there was a third mind with another opinion compared to theirs. One was hardcore practical, one was technical. She could see reason in between and mention it.

It was two years later that they showed their real talents, after completing the pokéencyclopedia.

* * *

" _Screw you old man! How about you get in that stupid ball and get dragged around against your will!"_ Ash could hear the sheer anger in those words as he looked around. Gary and Leaf were curious as to why Ash was like that until he spotted a Pikachu growling at Oak.

This particular Pikachu was caught before, chewing on electric cables and feeding itself electricity. It seemed to have attracted Oak and was captured by him. The Pikachu in turn was not happy with it, no… not at all.

"Professor, what's the matter?" Leaf asked curiously. The Pikachu was extremely hostile. Perhaps a bad memory of other trainers?

"Mm… I captured this Pikachu after I found it chewing on one of my scanning machine's electric cables. It has blue eyes compared to that usual black and it's a little slimmer compared to its kind showing a very agile build. Its tail is also slightly longer which reveals a strong tailbone. I was interested and captured it, but it seems to have backfired…"

Gary flinched at that. He couldn't deal with such angered pokémon but Ash was the opposite.

Ash, who was now ten, wore a long black shirt. On top of it was a red and white jacket that matched his cap. A pair of blue jeans had a black belt attached which had some tools and twelve empty slots for pokéballs. Wearing nothing but socks at the moment he walked up to the Pikachu and held out a gloved hand which still revealed his bare fingers.

"Hello, Pikachu. Do mind your language, but may I speak with you?" Ash was calm when he spoke to the angered mouse. He did this before and can do so again. His eyes began to glow red as he looked down at the Pikachu that now shifted its attention to the three children.

The one in front of it was the real deal that calmed him though. Almost as if it's destined to be, the Pikachu stared at his red eyes and began to calm down. " _Sorry about that… I just did not want to be caught, I want to be wild and get stronger. Not rust in some lab…"_

Ash simply chuckled at the Pikachu's actions and sat down on the ground in front of it. He revealed that he didn't force himself upon the Mon and trusted it enough to not attack him now. "I can understand why you would want to be wild, but what made you come inside of a lab then?"

 _"I eh, kinda got kicked out of my family. I was different from them, much faster and my electric attacks were much stronger even as a Pichu. They began to call me freak after my eyes turned blue for some reason… so I got kicked out and I was hungry. I was nearby so I thought I could get some electricity from that cable as food."_

Ash nodded understandingly. It was only then that the Pikachu noticed something weird…

" _PI-PIKA?!_ " The children and professor could hear the Pikachu scream out loud as it jumped back. Their response was to laugh loudly, it was after all shocking news to meet a human who can understand pokémon. Ash understood this as the usual " _YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME?!_ "

"Ahh, yes. I can… A Lucario that came here called it Aura when I was little and thanks to a little experiment when I was younger I believe I overloaded my body with Aura. A result was a tougher body and my eyes and hair changed. The best was of course, that I could understand Pokémon." Ash explained kindly, with patience.

The Pikachu was interested now… A human could understand him? Well, he did feel slightly interested in the boy. Wasn't Aura something only pokémon could control though? Eh, he'd hear the explanation later.

" _Then… Will you become a trainer later?_ " Pikachu asked uncertainly. If he had to be captured, he'd at least stay with someone he could like instead of some old man or a boy that would only force him to battle.

"Mm. My dream is to become the best, a master. I want to capture pokémon that will become my family and reach the pinnacle of all trainers. Even now I completed a special tool with my friends that will allow me to teach other pokémon moves that would require special machines or various, expensive and bothersome, methods. It's just the first step, but a start for my journey. Right guys?" Ash looked behind him with a large grin. It was only when he was with his family and friends that he could reveal some childish nature. He knew how to talk mature and act accordingly, but with them he couldn't help but reveal a childish nature. Perhaps it was part of having a childhood?

Gary and Leaf just grinned widely and nodded. Oak was more subdued and simply smiled as he watched the actions going on. Maybe… Pikachu would be the turning point for these three? He'd give them a fun task instead of the gift he promised when they were 8.

"Hmm. Pikachu." Oak began which instantly made the Pikachu go near hostile if it wasn't for Oak's kind smile. Pikachu seemed to calm down just a little. "Would you like to become Ash's pokémon? I actually have an interesting idea for you. He can't travel for the next two years but he can train you during that time - even if limited."

Pikachu was thinking hard about this. The old man offered a good plan, the boy was kind and dreamed similarly to himself. That was also when he noticed that Ash pulled out a small box and opened it. Then, as if Meloetta was singing in the Pikachu's ears, it smelled the food Ash had.

"We trainers provide food for our pokémon. The encyclopedia we made wasn't just for training, it was also for looking at the right nutrients and make proper pokémon food alongside the likes of pokémon. We provide our pokémon as they travel with us, live with us. In return, they battle for us, laugh with us… enjoy time with us." Ash began to buy over Pikachu and the Pikachu was instantly mesmerized by Ash's small speech. It was done on the spot, not thought of before by him and the other three inside the lab were snickering in their minds. Ash was doing it, again.

"To be honest, I'd love it if you were my starter, my first Pokémon. A family member." Ash put the box of pokéchow down. "Well, I will not force you… and if you dislike it that much, I'll ask Oak if he can release you."

Pikachu was taken. No way was he going to let this go. A kind trainer, promising to battle with him and thus making him become stronger and not just that, but also give him the option to leave? That boy was one of a kind.

" _I'll join you!"_ Pikachu became cheerful and instantly rushed to the food to eat. He was hungry after all.

The other three finally laughed as Oak pressed the release button of the pokéball and turned to Ash.

"Alright Ash. I want you to use your cherish ball and capture Pikachu after he's done eating… I'll explain my idea after that, okay?"

Ash nodded as he walked to a special cabinet. Inside of it were many pokéballs. Sixty of them were a special red color - Cherish Balls.

He had a past with these balls. Oak once told Gary, Leaf and himself to learn the workings of pokéballs and as a result they met up with Kurt. While Kurt would deny it, their curiosity and learning capabilities baffled him to the point they asked if they could make their own pokéballs.

The result was so ironic that they couldn't help but snort.

Red, Blue and Green Cherish Balls were made. Sixty for each, sixty of their very own creations and Kurt officially recognized them as rivals for their work. Not just the looks of the cherish balls, which looked as if it's made of crystals, but the inside workings of it. A Pokémon captured by the Cherish Ball, as they also worked on it with Silph Co for a while, would be capable of seeing the outside world through a connection.

Ash, who had the red Cherish Balls had his necklace. A necklace that was gifted to him by Riley when the Aura Guardian heard of Ash's development. It was made of the crystals in the Tree of the Beginning and like his eyes was a maroon color.

Gary, similarily, had a necklace. His was a Yin-Yang necklace that perhaps explained the calmness. His blue Cherish Balls were linked to it and allowed the pokémon - if they wished to - see from it like they were watching television.

Leaf wore a pair of green crystal earrings. They were originally parts of a leaf stone that was no longer useful and she found it a waste to leave them be. A result, after some begging at Oak, was what she wore. These earrings were linked to her green Cherish Balls.

Honestly if Oak had to admit, it was a breakthrough but this was their finding. Their way of showing they did their best. This was theirs and thus theirs to produce. Oak respected them that much now. To be honest, Silph Co barely understood how it worked but the children did.

Pikachu, after their reminiscing of their fun adventure, finished the food and now looked curiously at Ash. The boy put twelve crystal-like pokéballs on his belt and they stuck as if they were made to be there. Plucking one from it, Ash held it out to the Pikachu.

"Will you join me Pikachu? Will you come with me on my journey, my journey to become the best? This is your last chance to deny it."

Admiration. Happiness. Love. The Pikachu felt so many emotions now. Their first meeting was hostile, but in this short time the human captured his heart.

" _Gladly!_ " Without complaining, the Pikachu tapped the ball and was captured without any hesitation. Pikachu, who was now inside of what he hated the most shivered until he spotted the screen through Ash's necklace and he enjoyed it. He could view what his trainer was looking at… Until he was called out again.

" _Woah..! I could see what you could see! It was amazing compared to that stupid ball the old man used!"_

Ash laughed loudly as he translated for the others. A result was them chuckling alongside him.

So after some small talk and Pikachu getting used to them, the yellow mouse jumped on Ash's shoulder where he carried the Pikachu around without any problems.

Oak took this as his chance to explain his idea.

"Well children… I must say, you three have impressed me so much I feel like I can simply stare at my television and wait for when you pop up next few years. So, because of Pikachu here my original idea went south. I originally intended to give you three each a Kanto starter." The children wanted to pout, but they couldn't. They liked Pikachu already.

"So I thought of this! Ash will train Pikachu for six months together with you guys. After that, you three will go with Dragonite and look around for a possible wild starter for you three. The reason why I want you to do this is my final lesson: Truly capturing and bonding with your new pokémon. I will even give you locations for various pokémon that I get reported with."

Gary and Leaf were deep in thought before smiling and shrugging. They liked it so they nodded and Gary let Leaf speak first.

"I would like to start with a female Nidoran. I like their versatility and toughness and the Nidoqueens I've met are very kind to other pokémon. I want my new family members to get along and having a Nidoqueen as the official leader and mother hen will be fun," Leaf explained her reasons perfectly. A powerful pokémon with many versatile options, yet kind. She truly was a mix of their personalities. She did hesitate for a Nidoqueen and a Swablu though. Both were very nice.

Gary was up next. "Hmmmm.. Gramps, I'd like to start with an Eevee. I've heard of their evolutions and I want to see what the road will take me to. I will let the Eevee decide what to evolve to and go further from there."

Pikachu had to sweat drop. Always the Eevee but this boy's reasoning of it was admirable. The girl made him like her quite a bit and he knew a tough Nidoran… so he poked Ash and whispered something in his ear.

"Hmm. Leaf, Pikachu just mentioned that he knows a very tough female Nidoran. We can ask this Nidoran to stay at the lab as we train Pikachu, to ask her if she wants to join you on your journey and then battle with it." Ash translated what he was told and liked it. It carried Oak's intentions and Leaf would get a powerful starter.

Oak chuckled heartily. "Then I will take care of the Eevee problem. It's a shame, but they're very rare these days."

The trio of children just brightened up. They were glad that their starters would be ready!

"Gramps… Is it possible to find Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmanders in the wild?" Gary asked to be sure. He did want a Blastoise.

Oak had to think about that. Now that he thought about it, there are indeed wild locations. However, they are far, far stronger than the ones handed out by them who were born in breeder locations. There… might also be a case of abandonment by other trainers.

"My answer for this is complicated… There may be abandoned ones," Oak couldn't help but spot that Ash's eyes began to glow and Gary's turned blue. Leaf seemed to be calm but the smile she had worried him… Is she the second coming of Delia? "The ones found in the wild are far stronger than the ones we hand out as a starter. They are simply born in a natural environment and fight much harder. You'll have to wait until you have a badge to at least capture one."

The children nodded. Ash liked Charizard, Gary liked Blastoise and Leaf favored the Venusaur. They were quite typical, but would they capture them in the end is the question? Whilst the starters are powerful, they aren't almighty. Other pokémon may interest them more.

Then Leaf asked a question that made Oak hesitate. "What about pokémon from different regions?" Leaf asked in genuine curiosity.

"Other regional pokémon come from swarms and thus move in large groups.. I'd advise against capturing them. However, some may be willing to join.. I wouldn't bet your money that easily. There is said to be a Froakie in Viridian Forest alongside some other water types but they hide very well. It's also highly dangerous to try and go after swarm pokémon unless you travel in groups."

Ash thought about this and he nodded. "Gary, Leaf. How about we travel together in the future until Pewter City? This is to test how traveling would go for us." Oak had to admire his natural leadership skills.

Gary nodded in agreement. He wouldn't deny that this is a good idea. Even if he wanted to be traveling alone for his journey, it's good to take caution. He will go for badges so it was a good idea of Ash to mention until Pewter.

Leaf practically beamed. She liked the idea very much! They'd still be together for a month making it easier for them to depart with a good mood and perhaps with more skill because they'd battle each other.

Oak just laughed. How interesting, these kids! They're so different from the rest of the children that he had to say that he was going to follow their tracks!

* * *

Six months. It has been six months and Pikachu was put through the wringer. His electric pouches went from basic Pikachu to very high Pikachu. To be honest, Pikachu was very happy with the decision to go with Ash and his friends. They were smart and made very good battle plans but they mentioned that he had to first train his body and reserves before they moved onto new moves.

So he did. Every single day Pikachu was going through something that would make Giratina cry to Arceus for forgiveness. He did not complain, not at all. First off was the training of the body… They did not miss a single thing. Tail, legs, arms, entire body weights, head. Pikachu was trained to use anything and to be honest it made him very agile and fast. His kind was known to be like that… and unable to take many hits.

That's when battle experience came in. The three children asked various friends from Rhyhorns with Lightningrod to a freakin' _Dragonite_.

Pikachu earned the dragon's respect at the end though. The Dragonite was rough around the edges for the first months and didn't hold back but seeing Pikachu's progress from his training made him respect the mouse. Pikachu went from a measly level 8 to 15 if it would be scanned by human levels. However, the scans never did follow the power within the body and the strength, just basic experience that the dex can somehow record inside of the body of a pokémon.

So, with six months of pure training, Pikachu was with the group of children and smiled happily. He just had a nice lunch and asked the kind Nidoran that helped him before to battle for Leaf's team. Of course, Leaf would order him around during the battle. Whilst Pikachu is perfectly capable of fighting on his own - something that Ash, Gary and Leaf focused on unlike many other trainers - they wanted Nidoran's respect.

" _Okay, Nidoran. Leaf will make me fight you for a place in her team. After that I have to battle an Eevee for Gary… Are you ready?_ " Pikachu's excited voice could only be heard by surrounding pokémon, Ash and of course his opponent.

Ash relayed what was spoken to Leaf of course. He wouldn't leave his friends out of the conversation.

" _Of course! I must say that you've grown very well, was it thanks to them?_ " Pikachu's nod made Nidoran happy. She wouldn't join some newbie with arrogance after all. " _Please relay to her that even if you lose,"_ Pikachu sent a glare at Nidoran and sparked with far more electricity than before which made the Nidoran admire him somewhat, _"I'm interested to join her nonetheless. Your progress is very impressive!_ " She did regret taunting him later on in battle though.

" **Let the battle between Leaf and her temporary pokémon Pikachu against Nidoran… begin!** " Gary was the referee for this battle and Ash stood next to him with his arms folded. An Eevee was currently watching the battle as well. This was the Eevee that Gary wanted to join his team as his starter.

"Pikachu, thunder wave." Leaf's first command is to limit Nidoran's moves. Pikachu listened of course. The idea was something that they always started with - a paralyzed opponent is far easier than a healthy one. A wave of electricity was sent to the Nidoran who dodged to the side, only to receive a second thunder wave in the face.

Nidoran let out a cry of pain in response. Now it had electricity going around its body due to paralysis.

"Good job Pikachu! Now let's use that dear Sweet Kiss," Pikachu almost wanted to cry when Leaf showed a near perfect copy of Delia's smile. She had some slight sadistic tendencies but he couldn't deny the effect.

Nidoran, who was originally confident, had to give them props. This was a good start for a battle but she wouldn't let Pikachu kiss her that easily! She began to growl as her body leaked some poison. It then fired poison stings at Pikachu who began to use agility to dodge them.

Alas, the amount of stings were very impressive and showed good training. The stings finally hit Pikachu who cried out in pain before 'taking it like a man' and moving closer to use sweet kiss on Nidoran's cheeks. The effect was immediate as the energy sent through the kiss confused the Nidoran.

"Thundershock!" The moment that word left Leaf's lips, it was a near thunderbolt worth of power coming from the Pikachu who gave it his all to shock the Nidoran. Part for revenge, part for respect.

Nidoran endured and the shock got rid of the confusion pretty quick. It then, in a last struggle, ran to Pikachu and used take down.

"Pika!" A cry was heard as Pikachu was sent flying but soon landed, even if damaged pretty bad from that high powered move. Nidoran then fell down but not before giving Leaf and Pikachu a respectful look and a nod.

Leaf smiled widely, "Go Cherish Ball!" She threw her green cherish ball at the Nidoran who was promptly captured without struggle. Low level pokémon battles didn't last long but they showed very good starting abilities. After the capture, Leaf went to Oak's lab to restore Nidoran and Ash picked up his starter.

"Hey buddy, how'd it go?" He asked with a smile. His red eyes turned kind as his hands began to glow blue, before turning light purplish and it pulsed against Pikachu who's wounds began to heal. He wasn't poisoned so there was no need for antidote.

The reason Leaf went to Oak was firstly because of the healing machine and secondly because a Pokémon, even if healed by potions and such, can become tired. Such a state was bad for battling.

" _It went very well. I'm impressed with the take down and you were right Ash. If I hadn't focused on training my body that take down alone would knock me out,_ " Pikachu admitted with a smile. He was ready for the next battle, he could rest after that! It was after all, time to repay his friends for their training and effort!

" **Then, officially, Pikachu is the winner. Nidoran has been caught and will now be healed** " Gary concluded the battle with a smile before sending the Eevee a look.

Now, normally Eevee are very shy… but this one took the cake. It showed determination and a challenging smirk. It seems those two are a match made in heaven.

"Pikachu, are you ready for the next battle?" Gary asked as he walked up to Ash who let Pikachu down to the ground. It shook its body to feel if anything was wrong and showed that he was fine by making a thumbs up position with a smile.

"Pi, pika!" _"Always ready for you guys!"_ Ash translated it because it wasn't just a yes and Gary smiled happily at his friend's starter.

The pokémon around them let out an excited cry. The first battle wasn't bad and Dragonite who was watching smirked. His effort hadn't gone into vain by training that little mouse. Now he had two new ones to train with the rest.

Nearby pokémon had to back off a bit after the Dragonite let out some weird chuckles. _That Mon has a nasty personality when he trains someone._

Ash took the lead and waited a bit for Leaf, who soon returned with a happy Nidoran running next to her. She took his lead and let her pokémon out of their balls unless too big. Good idea to bond nonetheless. After they joined their group alongside Oak who was busy the first match they watched Gary start.

Ash walked in between them and raised two flags looking more official than before. " **Let the battle between Gary Oak and his temporary pokémon Pikachu against Eevee begin!** "

The battle started instantly as the Eevee ran up to Pikachu with a quick attack intending to prevent a thunder wave command. It wasn't stupid and had a good instinct. Gary had to admire that!

"Pikachu. At the last moment, dodge to the right and twist your body. Strengthen your tail and use Tail whip on the Eevee." Pikachu nodded. He was used to these accurate commands and dodged at the last moment before twisting and using Tail Whip. A minor incomplete boost from an untrained iron tail had its effect and slammed the Eevee away.

"Now, thundershock!" Pikachu jumped upwards to aim for a wider area and fired a large thundershock. Eevee who understood what that meant stood ground and waited for impact. It wouldn't go down so easily!

The pokémon around them blinked a few times in confusion but a few experienced ones nodded in agreement. Staying grounded lessened the electric attack's power but it required guts and being able to withstand the pain and damage.

The electricity hit the Eevee and it didn't even let a cry escape as it stood on its ground. Only after three long seconds stopped the electricity and Pikachu landed only to meet an Eevee charging at him with another quick attack and got slammed into the air.

"Balance yourself in air and use Quick Attack. Turn this in a battle of speed!" Gary had to think quick. Eevee was smart, very much so. Pikachu had the advantage in speed though and it didn't take long before it turned into a white blur.

Pokémon around them followed the movement and were impressed. Those are good quick attacks.

White blurs kept hitting each other and the occasional cry of determination was heard. It kept going until Pikachu suddenly went to the right and with experience and strength to stop himself from running used another quick attack against Eevee's side. That did the trick as Eevee fainted.

Gary grinned widely before throwing his blue cherish ball, not saying a single word. He didn't need to - Eevee acknowledged him after this battle as the pokémon had told him.

" **Gary and Pikachu the winners. Eevee has been caught and will now be healed.** "

Pikachu this time was pretty tired. Two battles against pokémon of his level did tire him out.

Ash chuckled happily as he walked up to Pikachu and picked him up, using another heal pulse to heal bruises and such he got from the quick attack battle. Ash soon watched Gary use the same move on his pokémon.

Ah yes, those heal pulses. To be honest, they weren't sure why they could do it and even why Ash could do it but they theorized that their energy, which they still can barely use except for some minor things and healing, was the same as a pokémon's. Aura was said to be so anyway. They, with their use of heal pulse, technically use their energy to energize a pokémon and boost their healing to a higher level and giving it a true heal pulse effect. The fact the energy entered the wounds helped with that, probably.

"We're ready for our next year and a half, right Pi?" He asked his starter pokémon who looked up and this time had a glint in his eyes. Now he had pokémon that will suffer with him!

Eevee, who woke up by now and Nidoran began to shiver. Oak's Dragonite in the distance had a look that scared off pokémon around him and Oak who saw that had to sweatdrop.

Yes, his grandson and pseudo-grandson as well as his favorite student had befriended his mighty dragon-type pokémon. They seem to share his views on training for experience and even if a pokémon can't 'level up' that way, they would bring up their bases and experience against battling stronger opponents. Oak was happy with this theory though and when he'll release it no doubt high leveled trainers would be paid by rich starting ones or perhaps professors to help them out.

" _Hehehehe… I won't suffer alone anymore… I can finally share my pain with those foolish followers…"_ for some reason, Pikachu began speaking in some evil manner. Ash was staring at his starter before shrugging. Must be the effect of training with a dragon that is hellbent on being a task master. Eh, the results speak for themselves. Pikachu who was once pretty weak became a pretty good powerhouse for his species and would only grow.

Yes, he can still grow despite standing on a high-end road for his species. Oak, together with his students, began to study the way of evolution with Rowan. There they theorized that a pokémon can grow infinitely thus making legendaries far stronger than others, as well as them having better bodies for battle. Pokémon as old as the first few Dragonites have been said to be able to fight legendaries, albeit young ones, for days which is what their legendary parent would make them do.

 _Hmm. Perhaps this was the mysterious pokémon that Bill was writing about excitedly? He did mention some cry. Eh, whatever._

"Now now Pikachu. Be nice to your new friends, you'll be with each other for a year and half," Ash halfheartedly spoke and Pikachu just perked up. He did like the idea of having new friends, even if they'll suffer with him now, to play with. He was still young after all.

" _On my way,_ " Pikachu happily spoke as he ran up to the two starters of his friends. Ash just laughed loudly before walking up to Dragonite and standing next to it with his arms folded.

"You're going to make your training harder, aren't you? I want Pikachu to at least have mid-Raichu electricity reserves so… Don't hold back with thunderstorms the upcoming year and a half," what fools. They never knew the mastermind behind some planning... Well, masterminds. All three children planned the training and Dragonite happily did it for them.

" _Of course Ash. Of course. I wouldn't want Pokémon that I train to be weaker than others. I find it strange you don't train them the easy way on wild pokémon though,_ " Dragonite spoke up and Ash just chuckled.

"We're young, they're young. Even if we rush through all wild pokémon and reach the so called max level of a pokémon, we'd lose against a max level Raichu. By doing this their potential can become legendary. Something many have forgotten. Eh, I'm not sharing that information though."

" _Good idea. This way of training can also be considered as torture for pokémon and so the league may be tricky. Oak acknowledges the training as amazing though so I'm not sure. But you wouldn't want others to be that much stronger than you huh?_ "

"Isn't that the way it goes?"

" _Damn right. The way to be the best is a harsh one. Having an advantage helps. It was the same with Oak._ "

"I know. I saw recordings of you guys back as a champion, you were all amazing. Well it's time to get ourselves acquainted with the new pokémon," Ash spoke calmly as he offered the large dragon a smile which was returned. The dragon was pretty docile when not training, perhaps even lazy.

" _Can't have them wait. Oak probably wants me to deliver some items too. Anything you want me to bring along?_ "

Ash stopped before thinking. "Oak told us about swarms. If you perhaps find a good flying type other than Pidgeot and ask them to try out Kanto, I'd be happy. I know Pidgeot and the others are fairly amazing but I want a new approach compared to many in Kanto."

Dragonite nodded in understanding as he let out a chuckle. This boy was interesting, more so than Gary and Leaf. Not that those two weren't great, but Ash just had this mind that worked… differently? Even after the years of being with him, Dragonite couldn't explain it.

One thing was certain though.

 _Ash was born to be a master, a winner._

* * *

It's been 6 months since Gary and Leaf had their starters and during that time quite a lot happened. Even now, Ash had to admit that he had the best childhood he could wish for.

Pallet Town became known as a thunderstorm attraction and quite a lot of wild electric types began to migrate there. Actually, he could've sworn he saw a few Shinx looking interested at Gary and a Pachirisu at Leaf.

Well, it was all for Pikachu's training and Dragonite did it without any regrets. They probably upset some weather somewhere else but hey - until they got a mad Articuno, Moltres or Zapdos after them they wouldn't stop.

Wild electric types just mooched off of the excess electricity. Oak had lots of fun studying them.

It was also during these six months that Ash met a pokémon he would love to be his starter. A Fletchling that Dragonite called for in Kalos. Thinking back to when he met the Fletchling made him happy.

It's been a month since Ash helped his friends capture their starters and they were satisfied with their results so far. Nidoran took to it like a Goldeen to swimming and Eevee's determination to become stronger was very awe inspiring. The amount of pride they feel must be because they're trainers, although not official, that help their pokémon grow.

Ash was yet again training with Pikachu at a thunderstorm on the beach. This part of the beach was completely empty bar many rocks that they used for agility training.

"How's it going Pi, absorbing and producing nicely?" Ash asked at his starter who stood at the highest points, at times firing a thundershock upwards and receiving a lightning bolt in return to grow his reserves.

" _Yeah it's going great. I feel amazing like always… I don't mind this training, physical training however.._ " Pikachu absentmindedly sent a thunderbolt to the distance.

"Hey watch that, what if you hit a wild pokémon!" Ash quickly scolded his starter who immediately rubbed his head. Control was one of his training points and he had to admit that he was pretty bad at it.

" _That hurt.. so much.._ " a soft voice could be heard as a flying type fell down onto the beach. It was definitely hit by the thunderbolt if the state of its wing giving off electricity was any explanation for it.

"See!" Ash quickly grabbed a Cheri berry and fed the flying type whom he still did not know the species of. "You hit this guy!"

He never knew that Fletchling weren't supposed to be that big. He also never knew that this Fletchling was shiny. _Can't expect a kid to know all 700 plus pokémon perfectly._

Fletchling who had been flying around to Kanto after meeting this Dragonite was stunned at the sight in front of it. It guessed that it was at least a fully evolved pokémon that hit it with a thunderbolt attack but this was a Pikachu?

He knew that the Dragonite explained the situation and that there might be a thunderstorm. He was doing this for training too, so he ignored the previous warning and flew straight into it. He wasn't a fire type yet so he didn't suffer much from the rain other than having a harder time to fly and the bolts weren't even focused near him, only at a single point.

' _I thought that the Dragonite was joking about that training…'_ the Fletching thought as the thunderstorm began to fade and his wound was being treated with some hyper potion and special berry paste to recover from the burn.

"You're alright, aren't you?" The boy with the red and white clothing asked. Fletchling could see the worry in the child's unusual maroon eyes.

" _Yes. I'm okay… I shouldn't have flown through that storm."_

"Yup. I thought that Dragonite would've warned most flying types though. I wonder why you weren't told."

" _Wait.. Did you just understand me?!_ " the Fletchling understandably just screamed it out and jumped back in shock.

Ash didn't even bother to look fazed at it these days. "Yeah. I've been able to since I was a kid. I got saved by this Lucario y'see and unlocked my Aura. Small experiments made me able to understand pokémon."

The Fletchling could only stare in amazement. He himself was considered rare, beyond rare due to having a special body and being far stronger than others of his kind but to have a human that could understand him was amazing and even rarer.

"Either way, you shouldn't fly around when we train. What's your name and species anyway?" Ash asked curiously and Pikachu jumped next to him rubbing the back of his head.

" _Sorry about that thunderbolt,"_ Pikachu apologized sincerely.

" _Ah. I can't stay mad if it's an accident. I am a Fletchling, I do not really have a name as we mostly call each other by specific features. I'm considered Royal amongst my fellow Fletchling."_ The 'Tiny' Bird Pokémon explained.

"Oh, a Fletchling? I have read about your kind. The fact you evolve into a flying/fire pokémon is amazing and that's not even looking at the amazing ability Gale Wings."

Fletchling just nodded in understanding.

"So why were you coming here?" Ash asked. He was pretty blunt anyway. Children are supposed to be.

" _Ahh.. Some Dragonite I met in Kalos told me about Kanto and interesting pokémon and people. I was interested and figured it'd be good training to fly from Kalos to Kanto and back."_

"Oh!" Ash put a fist in an open palm as if he just figured out something. "You're the flying type I asked Dragonite to look for? I asked him to look around for a good partner that may want to join my team."

Fletchling flinched. He could have been caught but the boy was nice enough… He wasn't sure if he wanted to be caught by a human so far. " _Sorry.. I'm not too interested in being owned. I'm already hunted down like a prize by kids in Kalos."_

Ash looked a bit down in depression. A shame, he took a liking to this Fletchling.

" _But… I wouldn't mind visiting you. You say you train your pokémon right? I'd like to know what kind of training would be good for me."_ Fletchling tried to make the boy happier. That look was almost illegal to anyone. Even Pikachu felt like obtaining Thunder or Bolt Strike, hit the Fletchling and throw a cherish ball in its face for making his trainer make that face.

"Hmm… First, come with me to my house. I'll let you recover there and give you some food. We'll discuss more once you've eaten." Ash chuckled at Fletchling's hopeful expression. He wouldn't be surprised if Fletchling wanted to be his mother's pokémon simply because of her cooking but hey. This Fletchling had spirit… He hoped he'd like to join him. _Even now he doesn't realize the special qualities of this Fletchling._

" _Sure! I'd like some food and I'm tired from flying to Kanto. I must say it's really good for my stamina._ " The 'Tiny' Bird pokémon chirped happily.

Pikachu began giggling. " _Be sure to stay wild. His mother may just convince you to stay with her cooking alone._ " Even Ash laughed with that and Fletchling got confused…

* * *

" _Heavenly. Food. I. Can't. Stop._ " Fletchling was pecking his new food made by Delia and like mentioned before, was definitely in love with it.

Ash just smiled happily and told Delia of why the Fletchling was here. Delia didn't seem to mind and she didn't speak of the Fletchling's unique qualities compared to others. Ash will find out later. Maybe.

"So Fletchling, training… You can use the flying trips from Kanto to Kalos or fly around other regions and train your endurance and stamina," Ash was thinking up methods for a wild pokémon before smiling somewhat. "You can also join our training sessions. I've trained other wild pokémon so I don't mind. We'll use weights to weigh you down and train you in using aerial maneuvers."

Fletchling would only speak after finishing its food, but it was following the ideas as Ash kept going on. Now that's a real trainer. He also told Fletchling to master his moves perfectly instead of simply learning new ones and that made it tempted to join Ash. It also seemed Ash took a liking to him because of his personality and determination instead of special features… that, or he didn't even recognize them. Still fun.

* * *

The next six months were spent with Fletchling coming by every so often. It sometimes brought souvenirs such as a Leaf Stone and nuggets it found in mountains. Ash remained silent and decided to later on melt that gold and make a small gift for the Fletchling. He did know Kurt, and Kurt knew how to make pokémon accessories.

It was only at the last month, at their next meeting that instead of a Fletchling a Fletchinder flew down. It was very large - twice as large as a Pidgeotto and capable of flying Ash around if it so wanted.

"Woah, you evolved Fletch! Awesome," Ash cheered and the Fletchinder just preened its feathers but it was obviously happy if the rising in temperature didn't say anything. "Wait… You're a fire type now huh? That's pretty cool," He took his time to admire the giant, shiny pokémon.

" _Wooaah! You evolved!_ " Pikachu was seen running up to Fletchinder with eagerness in his eyes. He wanted to battle him! He definitely wanted to see his strength compared to a flying type that flies around regions, even if it follows Ash's principles of training the body and not just learn new moves. " _Battle me sometime!"_

The Fletchinder now looked at Ash before making its beak into a smirk. " _Well… I've decided to come with you guys if you'd win a battle now. I've been training hard these past six months and your training, even if most trainers don't use it, is very effective. I'm at the peak of my evolution's strength and I've grown far larger than before too. Heck, I can probably grow two to three times as large as a Pidgeot. Maybe I'll take you to the skies if you win."_

Now Pikachu did not have many dreams. Ash was similar. They both wanted to be the best and a flying type with very good abilities wanted to join them if they'd win plus offered them a trip to fly around. They wanted to be the best and this guy just offered them a branch to it.

Ash smirked deviously. "You do know we train hard as well, right? Pikachu is probably as strong as a recently evolved Raichu."

Fletchinder merely offered the bird equivalent of a shrug and a smug look. " _I can do this._ "

"Then by the ancient laws of battling, which I just made up, let's do this!" Ash definitely showed a childish side as he grinned widely. He'd get a new friend if he won together with Pikachu! He'd definitely do his best!

"Pikachu! Double team and Agility. Confuse him and then thunder wave!"

Pikachu disappeared in a speed unseen by human eyes. A pokémon that flies as fast as Fletchinder could but Double Team made it far harder and he tried to take to the skies. Maybe he should've done that before giving them the option of a challenge but this is fine. This is how battles are!

A jolt of electricity went through its body but Fletchinder flew up and ignored the pain. After flying upwards, Fletchinder opened its beak and began to use a highly powered version of growl for its kind. Pikachu flinched at that and could feel some of the adrenaline leaving, making his physical attacks slightly weaker.

"Thundershock! Follow up by jumping up and using Electro Ball. You've got enough speed for some good damage!"

Pikachu listened to the order to a T. Whilst Pikachu could definitely do the same on his own, this was part of battling unless said otherwise.

A mighty thundershock that made Fletchinder cry out in pain and a large orb of concentrated electricity made the flying/fire type re-evaluate the Pikachu's progress. That hurt more than the Pikachu he met before and those had Light Balls! Good thing he still carried that orb with him instead of giving it to Pikachu.

" _Not bad! Here I come though!"_ With its superior body and endurance it flew after the Pikachu with a quick attack. The paralysis looked tame compared to the monster of a quick attack that came towards Pikachu but Ash had an idea and smirked.

"Feint!" Feint Pikachu did. Pikachu lured the Fletchinder closer and made a fake mistake before jumping up on its body with quick attack, holding on.

"Thunderbolt, full power! It's all or nothing!" Pikachu nodded. He was physically much weaker and Fletchinder being far, far stronger physically was capable of knocking him down easily. Even if he trained under Ash, this guy did the same and had the royal species gene. That damn _cheat code_.

Pikachu, however, showed its worth. Crying out with a ' _Piiiikaaachuuuu!_ ' which, in Ash's ears was " _EAAAAT THIIIIIIS!"_ a massive lightning bolt could be seen all the way from Viridian City.

"I sometimes wonder if I'm creating the second coming of Raikou," Ash grumbled as he stared at that. It was definitely all the energy Pikachu had in himself but that was a special thing. Pokémon were supposed to have natural limiters that made their attacks weaker or at least prevent them from fainting after using their strongest attack.

Pikachu had no limiter thanks to Ash's training. Pikachu, instead, knew his limits very well and capitalized on it. Fletchinder paid for it now.

The result of the attack was pretty obvious. Fletchinder went down and Pikachu followed but before they could fall, Ash used his cherish ball to 1. return Pikachu and 2. capture Fletchinder.

Fletchinder was caught instantly and Oak received a special message on his computer screen. He nearly cried out in shock when a visual image was shown. He then had a smile filled with pride. Ash was the last of the three that captured their second pokémon because he could be quite picky. His second capture was definitely the best choice possible - a royal species pokémon followed with the shiny gene. Both genes together? That's a real monster. He couldn't be more proud. Plus… He now had something to study, again! Those kids are goldmines!

* * *

"Professor Oak, can you heal Fletchinder? Pikachu as well while you're at it," Ash asked in a hurry. He rushed to Oak's lab after that battle as that was the only location with healing equipment and it appeared that Oak was prepared. Next to Oak stood Gary and Leaf, both with their pokémon out: Eevee and Squirtle for Gary, Nidorina and Bulbasaur for Leaf. It seems Ash broke the starter trend but he was happy with this Pokémon too!

Well, he could be the same but he, instead of capturing the Charmander he met in the past adventure, decided to go beyond that. He offered the Charmander a chance to go to Charific Valley and train with the strongest of its kind. The smile that Charmander showed when he was offered freedom and a good training place, as well as a new home, was worth the blood, sweat and tears that Ash went through to capture that Damian guy. That guy also had tons of rare pokémon bought with money from poachers and they were now all in Oak's Ranch.

Ironically, they were off limits to everyone but Ash and his friends because they will absolutely ignore every order from everyone other than them. Talk about a reward by doing a good deed. They could pretty much ask a Nidoking to fight battles for them.

"Ah of course my boy! I must say, I'm quite proud of that capture of yours! A shiny, royal species Pokémon! The amount of luck and skill you have is quite astounding."

"Eh?" Ash blinked as he stared at Oak blankly. Gary and Leaf followed. They hadn't read up on royal species so far, even if they had spotted some. Oak seemed to have named them recently.

"Ah yes. Let's heal Fletchinder and Pikachu before I explain," Oak ushered the children to the health lab and put the pokéballs of Pikachu and Fletchinder in the recovery machine which began to heal them.

Technology, at times, scared Ash. The fact a pokémon could be healed in mere minutes after being completely worn out showed what humans can do and what they are able to do if that knowledge was in the wrong hands. Nonetheless, he was happy with the healing and after it was done Ash rushed outside to let out his starter and second pokémon!

"Come out, Pikachu! Fletchinder!" Ash threw his two red cherish balls into the air and out came Pikachu and Fletchinder. They both looked as healthy as ever and smiled happily.

" _A great battle Ash! Thank you for the healing, it felt amazing inside of the pokéball."_ Fletchinder spoke as he began testing his wings to see if there were any problems.

Pikachu shrugged. He disliked being in a pokéball but Ash's were special. That, and the feeling wasn't so bad inside of a recovery machine. Pikachu then turned to Fletchinder and began to talk about their battle. Ash just sweatdropped at the near battle maniac of a Pikachu. _Ah well_.

"So, Ash," Oak began as he walked outside with the other two. They just stared at the giant Ember pokémon before shrugging it off. They were amazed, yes, but they wouldn't get mad or anything.

"A royal species pokémon can be considered the cream of the top of their own species. There are different kinds but the general ones are far larger than usual, far stronger than usual and are extremely rare. Whilst it's not only the physical aspects as they're stronger in their element as well. Fletchinder will most likely be able to shrug off fire type attacks as if they're useless and his fire type attacks must be stronger. That's about it for a royal species pokémon… and this one is also shiny. You do understand you have a one in a billion pokémon, right?"

Ash just stared at Fletchinder and then at Oak. Then it went back to Fletchinder. "You knew, didn't you?"

" _I did. I just never brought it up and thought you ignored the fact and treated me normal despite not being normal._ "

"Gee, thanks. Could've been useful to explain further. I would've trained with Pikachu much harder."

" _It's not like you hadn't won our battle. Heck, you won quite easily if I had to say so myself. Even if Pikachu fainted afterwards, it was a definite win._ "

"True, true." Fletchinder showed a sly smirk. Boost one's ego and you can avoid trouble. "Still doesn't excuse you not telling me." There went his attempt, down in the drain.

Ash eventually sighed as he looked at the other two. "Well. Since they're ready like this, how about we up their training? I want you guys to at least have a Wartortle and Ivysaur before we leave. We still got a year after all."

That was also the moment he noticed Fletchinder hand Pikachu an orb. A light ball to be precise. "I wonder how good Fletchinder taste…" He grumbled as he glared at the pokémon. If he had that damn thing, Pikachu's electricity storage could be trained way more than before!

Fletchinder didn't back down and stared at Ash. " _I at least expect a thanks, you know._ "

"I suppose you're right… Thanks." Ash nodded as he turned to the rest again. "So… Where's Dragonite? Can you call Professor Juniper for Hydreigon as well?"

Now Pikachu gulped. Nidorina and Eevee weren't much better… the new ones merely tilted their heads at that idea. Why were their seniors so scared?

"Good idea Ash!" Gary grinned as he looked at his best friend. Leaf on the other hand couldn't help but pity the pokémon yet giggle at their reactions.

Oak smirked slightly. Yes, they knew how to give their pokémon a hard hand but Oak didn't have it in him to tell them that their pokémon, physically and experienced, are far stronger than the ones around the fifth gym. Though it depends on the trainer and the gym leaders will obviously listen to his warning about them. Their challenges will be harder if they want to battle gyms.

In a way, it's like seeing a child grow up. Oak missed this with his own son, who left home after he turned 10. He only saw his child return when he had Gary and then he passed away in some accident.

Either way, the next year will be fun. Oh… He had to give them university material now didn't he? Wouldn't want a child to go out uneducated. Though Ash seems to have some problems with it, Gary and Leaf help him.

Ah, these bonds. They're so precious.

* * *

The year passed by pretty quick and now there was a giant Fletchinder who definitely took the cream of the cake in size and power. Compared to many others around its level, it far surpassed them. Perhaps this training should be called Effort Training instead of simply relying on natural born ones? Well, their training might be considered too hard core for many other trainers.

Pikachu was another thing. After absorbing the light ball in its body, the Pikachu's pouches turned darker and his electric attacks got a definite boost. During the year, Pikachu learned moves that they taught with their methods. Of course they only taught them and once they _mastered_ it, a new move would appear. Luckily, the pokémon were well known with the training and they couldn't be happier with the results.

Heck, Gary's Wartortle was so humbled compared to its arrogant nature from before. What did he say again? Ah yes, he was from some kind of _Squirtle Squad_. Eh. Gary's new Umbreon took the take in defense though, it boggled Ash to see that Dark-type handle attacks that should have knocked it out. Though it still loses against Pikachu and Fletchinder - now named Falcon by Ash - the Umbreon was becoming known in the ranch as one of the stronger pokémon.

Leaf's team was just scary though. Delia began teaching Leaf many things about pokémon, such as tricks that she knew that female pokémon could use. Nidorina will definitely become a near perfect Nidoqueen that many wouldn't even be capable of beating. Sometimes Ash wondered why Leaf won't just do gym battles but then again, he'd have to face her later on. He wasn't sure if he could win. Despite being a prodigy himself, she wasn't far behind and she could capture many pokémon that he had no chance against. Only the future will tell. Ignoring Ash's unconcious fears, Leaf eventually trained her Bulbasaur to an Ivysaur. That Ivysaur that used to dislike humans as a Bulbasaur and didn't want to evolve became very friendly and protective of Leaf to a point he'd train and learn moves that should be near impossible. Whirlwind? Dig? _Really_?

Her Nidorina was just a terror that even Pikachu didn't want to meet in an alley. The Nidorina was becoming large, very large and once it'll evolve in Mt. Moon, it'd become one of the strongest. That much was proven when her Nidorina won against Ash's Fletchinder. The two monsters in their own rights battled it out to the bitter end and it was only because Nidorina's poison point had its effect that it won by just a few seconds before succumbing to the burn from Fletchinder's flame body.

That spoke for its power and defense. Good thing that the Nidorina hadn't evolved yet. Ash wasn't sure if Pikachu would win against it with its ground type advantage and that's not even considering the fact that its defense would enter scary levels for their level.

Nevertheless, the trio of children were happy. They were now just looking at three new trainers who would receive their starter before they'd leave. After all, they did promise to help Oak out after him gifting them some items.

The trio received Xtransceivers around their wrists to contact Oak in case of a pokémon transfer which is also installed as a beta test by Oak and Bill's effort. They could also hold group chats with him, thus talking about new findings and such.

Other than the Xtransceiver, they received specific items. Ash received items such as a saddle that could be put on Fletchinder and later on Talonflame alongside a thunderstone for when Pikachu reaches the peak of his species. Oak knew of their goal after all. Dragonite even gave him a Dragon Scale, telling him that this is to keep on himself at all times. Ash nodded and put the orange scale into his 'precious items' location of the bag. Gary received all kinds of evolution stones and some traveling clothes he had yet to buy. Sometimes Ash wondered if Gary was turning as forgetful as Oak. Leaf received evolution stones as well but she also received a special pass that would allow her to have all kinds of discounts in pokémon league supported stores.

Let's not forget that the trio received special skates that were made in Kalos for all kinds of traveling purposes. They still didn't know how those worked well so well on the dirt but hey, it was fun.

Ah, it seems the trio now popped up.

First was a boy with an arrogant smirk. It seemed that this guy will be put down very soon if his looks at Leaf were anything to tell by. He's lucky Ivysaur didn't see him do so… Wasn't that kid supposed to be 12? At most it has to be a crush, youth these days.

The other was a cheerful girl who will definitely take a Bulbasaur. The three helpers of Oak couldn't help but sweatdrop at her positivity… That's some scary stuff.

The last was some hyperactive boy that couldn't stand still. Gary teased Ash a few times mentioning that that could've been him but after a retort that Gary could've been that arrogant guy, he shut up. It was more likely to happen if events didn't happen in the past.

Ah, the wonders of being smart. The three pallet town prodigies smiled and each grabbed a ball. Ash held Charmander, Gary held Squirtle and Leaf held Bulbasaur.

Ash spoke up first, seeing as Oak was coming towards them with six pokédexes. "Okay you three. This is the start of your journey and these will be your starters. You must take special care of these guys as they'll eventually become beasts in their own rights, but only if you have patience and the right hand." Gary took over from there. "It's important to look at what kinds of food they like and research on the best nutrients. Perhaps ask Nurse Joys for help about it. You can also find quite a bit of information on the Pokédex," Leaf finished it for the three. "I hold Bulbasaur. Gary here has Squirtle and Ash holds Charmander. You can choose one of these three. Remember, the best thing of having a pokémon journey is the fun you have with your partners and the excitement of finding new things and pokémon for your team and new family."

Oak couldn't help but be proud. The three children were so different from their other age. Calm, collected and sometimes still childish but it was limited and they knew how to improve themselves on their own if they make mistakes.

"Okay you children. Here I hold six pokédexes. Considering these three are my students I added some functions," the arrogant boy wanted to shout about being unfair but Oak held up a hand to stop him from speaking. "These functions are things such as swarm location information, uploadable data in case they find rare pokémon or pictures which will be sent to my lab and finally the national dex options which scans all pokémon. They are far more experienced than you three and I don't mean that negatively, Naga, Ritchie and Meredy." The three, which had not studied under oak kept quiet. They could not retort that as much as they wished to.

"So, which will you choose?" Oak asked as he handed the three new ones each a red pokédex. After that he turned to his students and handed each a specially colored one. Leaf received a blue pokédex with a Nidoqueen printed on the back, Gary received a black one with an Umbreon on it and Ash received a red one with a Pikachu on it. Each based on their starter, which is something they designed and made on their own.

Ritchie spoke up first to get the chance. "I choose Charmander!" He excitedly took the pokéball from Ash's hands and called him out. Charmander was instantly hugged and admired which boasted its ego pretty well. It seems Ritchie will have some problems later on with evolution.

Naga took Squirtle with a grunt. He called out the water type which was actually the most annoying one in the ranch. This one thought he was strong when the stronger pokémon didn't bother attacking him back when he blasted them with water gun. They fit together after looking at each other and smirking.

Meredy seemed to have a better start. She received a calm Bulbasaur who appeared out of its ball and promptly moved a vine whip to her to 'shake hands'. It was something the Bulbasaur practiced with Leaf because she found it funny that the Bulbasaur wanted to be so human-like. Meredy smiled happily and 'shook hands' as she explained her wishes to journey and simply catch new friends before deciding what to do. Bulbasaur didn't mind and agreed.

The three new children returned their pokémon after some small bonding, turned to Oak and bowed before looking challenging at the other three pallet trainers who studied under Professor Oak. After they left, Ash just had to mention it.

"I see each will have troubles. Meredy will no doubt be scared after finding the more untamed pokémon but she will be a good trainer nonetheless. Naga will have arrogance issues and most likely not train a lot. Ritchie is too excited. He will train a lot and probably have a strong team, but with a Charmander line as a starter he will have problems with evolution… Plus did they just look challenging at us as if we're their rivals?"

Gary nearly bust a gut at the last sentence. They each received proper level 5 pokémon who could be considered the very start of a journey whereas they were considered mid-level trainers with extremely high intelligence and knowledge. Leaf merely smiled as she looked at the other two. "At least I won't have an arrogant guy after me, nor a childish one who will complain and beg for tips after losing."

Now professor Oak busted a gut. Leaf scored a critical hit there and the two boys pouted childishly.

"Hahaha! You three always make me laugh and feel young again. Now you three, I want you to be careful. I heard Team Rocket is starting up again and I don't want to find you guys too involved. They won't mind if you take out some grunts though, so don't let them intimidate you." Oak spoke seriously as Team Rocket can be considered a threat. The three children nodded as they looked at their cherish balls with a smile. As if on cue a Pikachu, Nidorina and Umbreon came out of their pokéball and went to their respective sides, or in Pikachu's case, on Ash's shoulder.

Oak turned to them with a teary yet proud smile and embraced the children. "Be safe and make me proud. I know Delia will be. Visit her before you leave, she may have some gifts for you."

The three students cried silently as they returned the embrace, obviously going to miss the professor who they considered their grandfather. "We'll miss you," Gary said with the rest nodding in agreement.

"Heh, I will too. Stay in contact with me and each other. I know you three will be able to give each other tips and possible findings for each other's team. I know about what you three wanted though." Oak chuckled before giving each of them a special trainer card. "These three cards are my final gift. They're put into your pokédex as you know where to replace the old ones."

The trio nodded at their final gift as they did what he said. The pokédex then spoke up.

" ** _Congratulations! You have received Junior Professor status. As a result of helping Professor Oak with many theories, creations and experiences which have later been reported to the league you three have received special privileges. Pokécenter services are now considered free along with special rooms made for professors and you are allowed to carry 10 pokémon with you._** "

The three children couldn't help but stare before smiling widely and giving Oak a bonecrushing hug. Oak nearly cried out in pain as he was hugged by three children - one who probably could match a Machop in strength thanks to the Aura in his body and physical training he did with his pokémon.

"AAAAH! My back you guys! MY BAAAACK!"

* * *

The three Pallet Prodigies were now laughing before turning back to their conversation after a reminder of Oak's cries when they heard a loud dragon laughing. "So Gary, what will you do for your team? I mean, I want to capture six pokémon per region and train them like that. If I do capture more, I will obviously do the same but I intend to focus on six," Ash told Gary his ideas to which Gary nodded. They have limited time during traveling and doing it alone will be tough when you have to feed 10 pokémon. "I was actually thinking of the same. While I do not mind taking care of 10 pokémon, which you probably don't either," Gary spoke as he saw Ash wanting to speak up. Ash instantly became silent, "I will do as needed. How about you Leaf? You intended to capture pokémon to help out Professor Oak."

Leaf nodded happily. "I will capture as much as I can after I finish a proper team. Like you guys, I have sixty cherish balls that we made. I want these sixty to be my personal pokémon and the rest will be caught for the Professor. Who knows, it may become Gary later." Leaf winked playfully and Gary blushed slightly at the compliment. Ash was just ignorant of the feelings between the two but he smiled happily for them. "I'm glad you three get along so well. We'll stay together until Pewter… but first things first. I want to capture that Froakie that Oak told us about when we were 11. If it's not there, that's a shame but if it is…" Ash's eyes became a burning passion.

Gary chuckled, "You always preferred the agile pokémon. Don't forget to have different kinds of pokémon, Ash." Leaf nodded with Gary in agreement and Ash just rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

That was when they spotted a small group. Delia, Clefairy, Blissey and Mr. Mime were standing there with proud smiles on their faces. "Hello children! Come over here before you leave, I want to give you three some things."

Ash and Gary immediately ran up to her. Why not? She was considered their mother. Leaf followed up soon after as she considered Delia her aunt.

"Mom!" Both Gary and Ash hugged Delia with happy and teary smiles. They were going to miss her - _especially her cooking_ was an inside thought - and the three helpers of her restaurant. She did mention presents though and they instantly hopped away.

"I know Ash and Gary are extremely picky so I have a pokémon for Leaf," Delia smiled softly as she held out a pokéball. She pressed the release button instead of letting it out, showing that it would be wild now. Out of it came a yawning Swablu.

" _Swablu?_ " The three children stared at the pokémon before smiling at Leaf. She liked the pokémon named Altaria more than they did and so they weren't jealous. Leaf often said that she hesitated between Swablu and Nidoran.

Ash chuckled before starting to translate words for Leaf.

"Hello Swablu," Leaf began as she bent over to look at the peaceful pokémon which looked as if it just woke up from a nice nap. "My name is Rosa Leafgreen but everyone calls me Leaf. I want to know if you're interested in coming with me on my journey. My wish is to travel and meet many new pokémon and capture lots of friends." She spoke in a soft, mature voice. It definitely showed her determination.

The Swablu knew that this was coming, Delia told her so. " _I am interested, yes. I just hope you will keep me with you in every region we go._ " Swablu's reasoning was simple and easy to accept and Leaf happily accepted. Swablu seemed to ignore the fact Ash translated her words.

Leaf happily pulled out her cherish ball and Swablu started staring at it for a while in wonder. That was a very pretty pokéball and she instantly liked her trainer for her taste as well. Swablu happily got inside of the ball and admired the fact she could _see_ though some kind of _screen_ the outside world. That was _very_ different compared to the pokéball which only makes one want to nap and hypersensitive for when he or she is called out.

Leaf called out Swablu who promptly got on top of her hat making the others chuckle.

"Of course I didn't forget my two babies," Delia cooed and the two boys groaned with an embarrassed blush. Leaf giggled at the sight of her childish friends.

"For Ash I brought something that you might like. It's basically a list of my basic cooking recipes and ways to improve. I don't want you to copy me, I want you to follow your own path in the way of cooking." Ash instantly loved the gift. He didn't mind cooking after all, but to have his mother's basic recipes would help out a lot!

Gary pouted at that but didn't complain when Delia gave him two gifts to make up for it. "This here is a very special cloak. It's made for travel and gives a lot of warmth for if you're in cold caverns or need a blanket. It won't born and it will dry pretty fast. Of course it won't get too hot if you would wear it now but I'd advise wearing it in cold weather," Gary nodded as Delia gave him her next present. "This is a Mystic Water. It boosts water type damage and I think your Wartortle might like it." She winked as Gary happily took it. He was grateful for the gifts. They weren't too expensive if the looks of the items were anything to go by but gifts from your mother are something you accept. _No. Matter. What._

"I'll miss you three so be sure to call me. Oak put our numbers in each of your Xtransceivers for contact reasons as well as a universal Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny center. Give your name and they'll locate you in case you need an ambulance or police officer for something."

"Of course! Right, Pi?" Ash asked his Pikachu who stayed silent with the other three. The three starters didn't want to interrupt their trainer's last moments with their family.

" _Of course! I'll take care of Ash for you, mom!_ " Ash grunted when Pikachu said that and hesitantly translated it. Of course, every human and pokémon had to laugh when he did.

Delia giggled happily as she kissed the children their foreheads before doing the same for the pokémon. "I expect you three to protect your trainers. They are still children and while Ash is a lot more durable, I don't want to see them get hurt, okay?" Delia asked kindly. No scary smile, nothing. The Pokémon who were spoken to nodded resolutely. Their trainers will be safe with them. They swore that in their very core!

Like that, the journey began. One who dreams to become a master and fights for it, the other who aims to be a professor but also likes to battle and the last who will help out the two boys with their goal and have her fun during the traveling.

Each took their first step into the new route and went on with it. Despite their upcoming drama, they were more than ready for it.

* * *

 **I made them stronger than normal children yes. You can compare their pokémon to buffed out Pokémon who took special growth drugs and training against normal trainers who simply battle for experience. Consider them an improved version of AJ.**

 **Now their gym battles won't be easy. I held back on a few details as I want flashback scenes for things such as creating the Pokémon Encyclopedia. Some might say that the Pokédex is this, which it is in a way, but theirs are focused on raising, training and feeding for traveling, battling and performance.**

 **Their pokémon, compared to others, will not learn countless new moves but instead first master one and then move to the next. A single ember will be considered a fireball before they move to flamethower. Think of it like that.**

 **Ash can speak with Pokémon and he can boost himself physically. This is what I want to stay at until late Kanto where he eventually forms a bond with someone. Who or what, I will not say. It will not be a Lucario. He will not receive a Lucario until Sinnoh, which is from Riley after seeing the improvements his Aura made. Of course, the movie with Aaron's Lucario will be very different as Ash has massive - note: MASSIVE - reserves of Aura but barely any control. It will only improve slowly.**

 **Gary has psychic abilities. Whooptiedoo. I wanted this for the reason that he will become a professor. The journey may be based on Ash, but I want Gary to appear more than just for the Diglett episode. I want Gary to be competent and friendly, who improves Ash mentally. Leaf is also there for this reason and she will be like in many stories, though much more advanced.**

 **Why did I go for this and not continue Lifetime? I realized I went fanboy and made OPness and OCness happen far, far too much. Yes, I admit it didn't go too well but hey I got some writing experience out of it. Some. This chapter will most likely not be the best prologue for a new story but I tried to give insight on the past instead of going "I'm 12 now. I start my journey with an overpowered Pikachu and a shiny, Arceus blessed Fletchinder who is far larger than Ash's Pidgeot in the anime". I wanted progress and not some monstrousity speed but slow and steady for a base. Their other improvements will be in the journey itself.**

 **Consider them starting at third gym badge level with experience to battle some fifth badge trainers. Gym leaders will be harder than usual, trainers will be easier.**

 **Now I probably said a lot of things and forgot a lot of things but I will make one thing clear: I finished the pokémon they will get. Yes, Ash will receive other regional pokémon but hey - it's a fanfic. Each will have a 'story' to follow. Pikachu was received and lacks a story thus was lessened but Fletchling hesitated to join and only by proving himself as a competent trainer did he want to join as a Fletchinder. Note: That battle could have been lost. I was wondering if I should make Pikachu lose or not for more story. Froakie, whom I mentioned, will also have a story which will only pop up when they reach Viridian.**

 **One last thing I want to mention is, is that they now have a full - 365 days - year to reach the league. They have time to train their pokémon and they won't just capture a weak Caterpie (I don't hate Ash's Butterfree but I want his team different compared to canon).**

 **As a spoiler I will also mention something Ash's fourth pokémon. It speaks human language.**


	2. Road to Viridian City

**Hey everyone! Welcome to chapter two of Pokémon: Road of the Master! This chapter will focus on the situation of Route 1 with the Spearow flock and some new things I am trying out!**

 **I hope you like this chapter. It is shorter than the first one, the prologue, but I'd rather upload many chapters ( of course, with the right details and size to actually be called a chapter ) than wait a month to upload another prologue. ( Did I mention that I made that prologue in a day? )**

 **Hope you guys like it! Gary and Ash both gain a new pokémon this chapter, making both of them receive their third pokémon!**

* * *

"Man I expected a lot of wild pokémon but I see it's quite tame here," Ash mumbled as he looked around. Leaf seemed to think about it but Gary knew why.

Gary had to hold back a yelp after finding out though. "Ash, it's Spearow's breeding season. Of course we won't spot many pokémon here."

Leaf flinched. She spotted that mean Fearow, the leader of the Spearow here, and it tried to hurt her before. Luckily Nina, her Nidorina put it in its place.

" _Don't worry, we'll protect you three,_ " Three confident growls and cries were heard. It did calm the three children as they smiled at their pokémon. However Ash wanted to be sure and called out Falcon, his Fletchinder. "Can you scan the area for any Spearow and Fearow? It's the breeding season for their kind and we're in their territory."

Falcon nodded and simply said " _On it_ " before departing with a high speed. A few flying types - including a Spearow - were interested in what flying type that was and why those three knew of their seasons. So, one courageous Spearow hopped over to the three. After all, if it gets hurt… won't it be able to call its flock?

"Oh, I see you're a curious Spearow," Ash smiled at the flying type who tilted its head before nodding. Being the ever so kind trainer he looked around in his backpack - which made Spearow tense - and brought out a small container. Opening it for just a second he pulled out a poffin.

Ash crouched to the flying type who stared straight in his maroon eyes. It wasn't afraid of him, but neither was Ash of Spearow. Gary and Leaf just sighed. Ash and his antics.

"Here. Try this out. I hope this will stop you from calling your flock, we don't intend to capture any of your kind but simply pass through."

The Spearow looked curious and the smell of that poffin, _oh dear Arceus that heavenly smell_ , made it agree. Since Spearow was one of the watchers it would be alright to tag along until they're safe to the next area. He was getting some food out of it so it's normal. _If only other trainers were like these._

Nipping at it softly and chewing the Spearow seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. " _It's very good!_ "

Ash merely chuckled at its response. "I know it is. My mother actually has a restaurant so she knows a lot of recipes for these things. Can you possibly come with us until we reach Viridian City? I don't want to attract any angry male Spearow or Arceus be damned flock leader who gets mad that we're here."

Spearow had to glare a bit for calling out his flock leader but soon softened up. It was true that Fearow had a nasty temper during this time so he nodded and hopped on Ash's arm who held it out. Of course, Ash still held the poffin to the Spearow's beak so he can eat and they walked on.

"You never change Ash," Gary grunted as he looked at Ash holding a wild Spearow - during their MATING SEASON - as if it's a Pidgey. Leaf couldn't help but giggle now. Ash was very kind and at least gave them a safe route.

Ash chuckled nervously and it seemed that Pikachu was talking to Spearow now.

" _So how is the situation of Route 1? I know I saw you guys before but for some reason it's empty._ "

Spearow, after finishing his poffin, looked at Pikachu. " _The flock leader mentioned that there are lots of new trainers coming around. He wanted to stop them from capturing all of the wild pokémon and grab our food sources so there are a lot of Spearow nearby to prevent them from doing so. We won't hurt them too much unless they provoke or hurt one of us, especially a female, during this time._ "

Pikachu couldn't help but agree as they walked on. Never hit a woman. Whether it's a human or a Mon.

 _What idiot would do such a thing anyway?_

* * *

It seems Pikachu spoke too soon. They were halfway to Viridian City and they talked about their future ideas as they could hear a massive cry for its flock.

" _It seems that a trainer has hurt the Flock leader's mate,_ " Spearow, on Ash's arm clenched its claws and Ash flinched. Spotting that, the Spearow relaxed. " _I apologize for that. I was getting too angry._ "

Ash just smiled a little and mentioned that it's okay. He had a very tough skin compared to other humans so he didn't bleed or anything… Were it Leaf who held him, she'd definitely have wounds.

"I hope the child, who did so, is okay though. Some human children are just foolish but they're young like chicks in your flock," Gary spoke for the group who couldn't help but agree.

Spearow in return looked at them before letting out a bird-type equivalent of a sigh. " _We know. But what can we do to protect ourselves if we're tame? Humans will think they can capture us as they wish, but we desire to be free._ " Ash translated this of course. It was already during their small talk that the Spearow figured out about Ash.

"Just know that if the flock sees us and attacks us that we will retaliate. I don't intend to become some scapegoat for another trainer," Ash glared at the Spearow as if daring him to disagree. The Spearow, after meeting them, couldn't help but agree with a smirk.

" _Well, we do appreciate strong trainers. As long as you can beat us fairly we won't attack you. I'll explain to the flock leader later if some small part of our flock decides to attack you three._ "

Ash nodded and told the other two children about it. They smiled and thanked Spearow, giving it some flying type pokéchow which they held on themselves as a treat. Spearow, who quite liked it, pecked away.

Gary was meanwhile thinking about his future options. A Fearow can be very strong depending on how it's trained and can fly him around in case he's needed.

"Spearow," Gary began as he looked at the Spearow who now looked up at Gary. "Is it possible for one of your flock to become a member of my team? I would like to have a flying type partner and while Pidgeot are nice, they aren't as attack-based as a Fearow. Fearow also know better moves compared to a Pidgeot."

Spearow had a glint in his eyes. It seems this boy knew his stuff and very well at that. Indeed, they know a lot more offensive moves than a Pidgeot who flies around and shows off with Gust, Whirlwind and Hurricane. They naturally even learn Drill Run!

" _I see. If we see my flock I will ask some of them._ " Spearow mentioned the idea and Gary had a grin on his face. Oh Ash and his antics. Always giving them some benefits.

That was when they heard a scream that can be considered a Screech attack.

"MY EARS!" Ash complained first. His hearing was more sensitive and he held his ears. Spearow who noticed the movement hopped to Gary's shoulder and Ash was shaking his head around. Pikachu was the same and Umbreon seemed disgruntled at the noise. Nidorina just flinched before taking it like a woman.

That's also when they heard a Gyarados roar. Several Spearow popped up to see the situation as a Gyarados in their territory was bad news. Of course, the three children wouldn't let it down but as they ran there it seemed that it started to rain… and some orange haired girl was cycling towards _them_.

After she passed by they could see a large, angry shadow of an enraged Gyarados. _Another foolish trainer hurt a Magikarp's feelings._

"Pikachu! I know this one is enraged but calm it down! Thunder wave," Ash commanded his trusty starter who jumped off of his shoulder and sent a wave of electricity at Gyarados. Gyarados was far too enraged at the moment and got hit, promptly falling down with a struggle.

It was only natural that this happened. While a Gyarados is terrifying, they need time to adapt to their new bodies. Swimming is perfectly fine, going on land is do-able. Doing so while paralyzed? No, not at all.

Spearow had to stare at the children. Now that's a way to calm down a Gyarados.

"Falcon!" Ash shouted in the air as the royal Fletchinder flew down in high speeds and nearly crashed down into the Gyarados if it weren't for stopping itself.

Gyarados, who was previously enraged, now felt survival instincts pop up. Its red eyes widened as it spotted a giant wing near its head and recognized the fact that it could hurt him. Very, very badly one might add.

Ash walked up to the Gyarados without any fear. Pikachu was next to him as he did so. "Calm down, Gyarados. I do not understand what that stupid girl did, but you need to calm down. You're already using rain dance naturally and there's a storm coming now."

Spearow looked up to see its flock fly above them in curiosity. Remembering what the other male said about wanting one of its kind in his team, Spearow flew up to ask some questions and call the flock leader.

Gary chuckled as he watched the Spearow fly up to its flock. They keep their word very well. It's a shame they're misunderstood.

Turning back to the Gyarados, Gary could see that Ash was having an effect. The previous enraged pokémon seemed to have calmed down and Ash was feeding it some Cheri berries.

It didn't take long for Gyarados to get up and look at the trainers before crouching down and nuzzling Ash who just laughed. While the Gyarados liked being wild, this trainer was nice enough to heal him after stopping him. It's not a bad feeling.

"Can you go back to the lake yourself? If you need us to, we can temporarily catch you and bring you there," Ash offered the idea to the Gyarados.

Gyarados looked around himself and tried to slither somewhere but it didn't work so well. It would only work in water. Looking back at Ash, the Gyarados nodded in agreement of being temporarily captured. If they didn't keep their word, it'll just fry them with a hyper beam but they made him trust them.

"Leaf, can you do it?" Ash asked Leaf who simply smiled and shook her head as he pulled out a normal pokéball. She held lots of spares whereas Gary and Ash only held their special cherish balls.

Gyarados looked at the female in front of itself and nodded with a soft roar. " _Go ahead, young child. I apologize for my actions._ "

Ash translated for them and Leaf just smiled. "It's no problem. We'll bring you back to your lake, but be careful. After evolving you'll have some trouble controlling your strength. I'd advise you to stay deep in the lake and train by hitting some boulders with your tail to see if it works. Hyper beam should also be discouraged until you are stronger," Gyarados almost stared in awe at this girl, "You may know it now but it's very slow. Many other trainers will be able to capture you like this. Start slow, alright?" Leaf ended with a soft, mature grin.

Gyarados simply nodded and stored everything the girl said away. It was wise to listen to this trainer. Actually, all three seemed to know their things if by the fact the Spearow in the air were calm and merely watching.

"Alright. Close your eyes and take a small rest. It'll take a while until we find your lake since it seems you've gone quite far." Gyarados in turn nodded and closed its eyes, fully trusting the girl now. Knowledgeable, experienced and kind. Three things that a wild pokémon had to respect. Leaf softly put the ball against its hide as it was captured without any troubles and now she looked at the other two.

"Sorry for the small delay. I can't help it but like Gyarados. They're largely misunderstood pokémon and very smart if you're training them the right way." The two boys simply laughed and shook their heads. "It's fine, your Nidorina was calm the entire time so there was no danger and you know your stuff. The rain isn't so bad either."

Thunder could be heard in the distance and Pikachu perked up. Seeing a chance to train, Pikachu began walking far ahead of them and began to attract lightning to itself.

Spearow, up in the sky, _stared_.

It's a good thing they didn't mess with those three. It's a very, _very good_ thing they didn't.

Gary turned to the Spearow and waved. "Spearow, mind if we bring Gyarados back?"

The Spearow who knew them simply said it's fine and flew down. The rest of the flock just followed them and Falcon joined them up in the sky to talk about the area some more. Perhaps he missed some nice sceneries?

What the three children didn't know is that a Spearow went to its flock leader to tell him of the situation.

* * *

"Finally! It took ages to get here!" Ash stretched his limbs in the rain as if not minding it at all. He was durable and his Aura made it impossible for him to catch a cold.

Gary just shook his head and Spearow who stayed on his shoulder just let out another sigh.

The three children their starters were used to it by now and Pikachu was too busy absorbing lightning for his training. Spearow still couldn't believe that little mouse was so powerful but after Ash explained why they did this, the Spearow understood.

They knew very good training methods. Maybe they can tell the leader some of them so they can protect their territory.

"Okay, come on out Gyarados!" Leaf called out the recently captured Gyarados, who popped up in the lake with a happy roar.

" _Thank you for bringing me here! I hope it wasn't too much trouble,_ " seeing them so wet because of its natural rain dance during the rage made it sad that the Gyarados did this to such kind children.

"It's fine Gyarados. We often did this in the ocean. We know your kind is largely misunderstood and you have justified reasons to be angered at humans." Ash told the Gyarados to make it stop feeling guilty. Gary simply nodded with Ash's reasoning and Leaf held up her pokéball.

"Don't be afraid of this beam. The blue light signalizes that you are being released, okay?" Leaf smiled at the Gyarados who nodded and was soon targeted by a blue light. After doing so, Leaf opened the pokéball and Gyarados wasn't returned.

"There, you're free to go," She giggled when the Gyarados happily moved its head to them and licked her cheek carefully. It was definitely happy like this.

That's when they heard the large cry of a pair of Fearow.

Falcon, who stayed with the Spearow, soon joined Ash and Pikachu instantly moved closer to them. He already absorbed enough lightning and if a flock or two wanted to battle it now… _Good luck_.

The three children and a curious Gyarados looked upwards to see two Fearow flying down to them. They were large, very large for their kind and definitely experienced if the scars were anything to go by.

" _You three are the ones that would like one of our flock to join you,_ " The first Fearow spoke up. This one had a larger beak and was definitely the leader. It looked at Gary, who the Spearow told him of. " _I see that you aren't afraid. I am glad that you have.. What do humans call it again?_ " The Fearow turned to its friend who chuckled.

" _They say if a person isn't scared in such a situation, they got 'balls of steel' or something._ "

" _Ah yes._ "

Now Ash, who understood this, was laughing on the ground in almost hysterics. The dirt didn't get attached to his body because of a small layer of aura prevented it but while laughing he explained it to Gary who had a minor blush on his face. "Shut up Ash," he grumbled.

Fearow looked at the three children with approval in his eyes. " _You're worthy. I'd like you to battle one of our stronger Spearow, the one you met before. He is quite close to evolution and going on a journey will be a good experience._ "

Spearow, who was on Gary's shoulder, can be understood if its eyes widened and it let out a surprised squawk.

Gary smiled as he turned his head to the Spearow. "Well, I wouldn't mind you joining my team. You're very calm and collected, something I appreciate. I guess we'll do it the traditional way with a battle?"

Spearow looked at the boy who was with it for the last couple of hours before nodding. It liked the idea and this trainer was very competent. He wouldn't complain with his leader's blessing!

Ash stood up now as he wiped some tears away. He always had this messed up humor… Nobody understood why but it was worse in the past. At least it became less now but hearing a pair of Fearow talk about that _certain game_ 's reference made him crack up.

"I'll judge the battle if that is okay. How about you stay and watch, Gyarados? It'll be an experience to see a proper battle. I don't think you see a lot of them in that lake as a Magikarp."

Gyarados nodded and the flying types nearby nodded in agreement. This Gyarados was fine and they'll speak to it about their territory later. Perhaps the lake can be managed with it as well. That is a very good idea. _The leader is somewhat happy with the three children. Despite one of their kind attacking his mate, these three were bringing it some good luck_.

"Then let's start. **This is a one-on-one battle between Gary Oak and Spearow! Please call out your pokémon!** "

Gary nodded and looked at Umbreon who shook its head in disagreement. Seeing why as Gyarados can learn from Wartortle, he pulled out his blue cherish ball.

"Come on out, Wartortle!" Out of it came a very well sized Wartortle. A very good specimen of its species as it let out a grunt and landed. Seeing the target Wartortle nodded in respect. This Spearow had some experience.

Spearow returned the nod before starting off with a Leer attack, followed up by Quick Attack, an egg move.

Wartortle stood still as Gary took command. "Withdraw and Rapid Spin." Wartortle withdrew into its shell which then hardened before spinning at a high speed. As if it became an aerial battle, Wartortle met the Spearow in the air with a very well placed Rapid Spin.

The spinning was actually the trick after a withdraw. By doing so, it could cancel another move which is Quick Attack and Leer was now useless.

Fearow, in the distance, agreed with this move. It was a very good tactical idea.

"Come out and use water gun!" Gary wouldn't let the Spearow get away that easily. Wartortle popped out of its shell without being dizzy and fired a large, pressurized water gun at the Spearow.

Spearow, who was dizzy, took the hit but caught itself in air before grunting and using pursuit. Dark energy surrounded the Spearow as it flew at the Wartortle who now had no defense and was sent flying back to the ground.

"Wartortle, I know you're strong enough to withstand that even without defense. Aura Sphere," Ash turned with a surprised face at Gary who had a smug smile to him. He didn't know that Wartortle could even learn that egg move!

It seems that the move was a good idea as a large, blue orb was sent flying at the Spearow. While the Aura Sphere was not perfect, it was locked on the target and even when the Spearow tried to dodge, it hit head on.

A small explosion occurred before Spearow fell down to the ground, unconscious. It was a good battle but Spearow hadn't focused on his defense.

"Alright! Here we go!" Gary threw his blue cherish ball at the Spearow who was absorbed into it. Without even moving, the ball let out a 'Ping!' signifying that it was captured.

" **The winner of this battle is Gary Oak! He has captured the Spearow, congratulations!** "

The surrounding pokémon cried out in respect for the battle and show. It was very well fought and despite the fact that Spearow was close to evolving showed many around it that they hadn't focused on defense as much as offense. Fearow turned to his flock and told them to do so next time before flying down to the trainer who caught Spearow.

Seeing what the boy did next surprised the Fearow though. Gary called out Spearow and began using heal pulse on it, making the small wounds completely disappear. Spearow, who was merely unconscious before, woke up by then.

"It was a good battle, Spearow. I know a training menu that will benefit you very well. I will scan you when we arrive at Viridian City to see what moves you know and what we're going to do," Gary explained as the Spearow nodded in respect. It was a very strong Wartortle and the fact it knew Aura Sphere blew its mind.

Gary turned to Fearow with a questioning look and Ash walked up to them as the translator he's known as. " _Thank you for healing him after the capture. Spearow, I know that you're close to evolution but I want you to know that I wish you luck in your journey. Come back sometime and show me your progress, alright?_ "

Spearow nodded eagerly before hopping on Gary's shoulder as it's his new perch. It gently nipped at Gary's ear, making the boy let out a childish laugh.

Fearow and the surrounding pokémon seeing that just laughed. The boy could act as a child!

Gyarados nodded in respect as it turned around but a cry of the second Fearow stopped it. The second Fearow walked up to it and began to discuss some ideas which interested the Gyarados.

Gary turned to his pokémon with a smile. "Great battle Wartortle. You've done well on practicing Aura Sphere and no doubt Ashy-boy will want hints." Wartortle began laughing as he was returned to his pokéball.

Ash pouted somewhat childishly as the three children now stood together in front of the Fearow. Falcon flew down from the sky and landed next to them and Pikachu now hung on Ash's shoulder.

" _Making us see such a great battle, I'd like to offer you to bring you to Viridian City. It's a nice time to practice myself. I'll carry one of you,"_ Fearow offered with its equivalent of a smile. The children in question nodded with a happy grin. Flying around is awesome!

The second Fearow heard the idea and nodded to the first one before finishing it and telling Gyarados to come back later to finish the talk. Gyarados roared in agreement before going deep into the lake and start some practice like the girl told it to. _Can't stop training_!

Gary eventually went with the leader, Leaf got on the second Fearow and Ash held onto Falcon. The three went into the skies as the sky was clearing and as they were up, they were joined by a pokémon they couldn't dream of meeting before.

 **Ho-oh**.

* * *

In Johto, Ecruteak City stood a man with a fashionable cape and a, in many women their opinion, stupid hairstyle. He was researching the three hounds like a madman yet again in his dream to capture Suicune, or perhaps Ho-oh herself!

That's when the bells began to chime. Ho-oh came back! Ho-oh is back into the pokémon world and let itself be known!

Many cheers were heard and the roars of the three hounds echoed throughout Ecruteak City.

For some reason, Eusine felt like he was missing something. Something very important.

 _Why was Ho-oh back?_

* * *

" **Hello, young children. I see that you are starting your journey.** " a voice similar to that of a woman and it sounded very mature.

The surrounding pokémon were shocked that such a pokémon was in their presence but it seemed those three children were blessed or something!

Nidorina and Umbreon were returned before they set flight, but Pikachu couldn't help but stare in awe.

"Lady Ho-oh," Ash began as he stared at the Legendary Phoenix. "Why are you here in Kanto, let alone talking to us?"

" **Fufufu, such innocence. It is because you are destined to be the Chosen. You will save many of my fellow legendary pokémon in the future as is your destiny. I came to see how you are and to see you so grown up, I have to leave a gift for you and your friends.** "

Ash, Gary and Leaf could only stare in awe. It seems Ash really was born to be a master, but will he make it in the end is the question many would ask. Feeling the weight of what was just said, Ash almost hesitated to talk but soon found his determination again.

"I see. If that is what is expected of me, I will not disappoint you, lady Ho-oh," Ash's voice was full of determination. "But what will you gift us?"

" **Ah, such curiosity. Be sure to keep it in in the future. Many legendary are temperamental these days but I'm glad you are with me. I will give each of you a special sack with what is known as 'Sacred Ash',** " Ash groaned somewhat. Why was it based on his name? Ho-oh couldn't help but chuckle and continue, " **But I want to give each of you one of my feathers. These are known as Rainbow Wings. In the future, when you visit Johto, come to my tower with this and I will appear again. I will see your progress as a trainer and we will discuss from there.** "

The three children could only be silent as they were handed over large sacks of Sacred Ash and each received a feather. Gary and Ash's feather got attached to their necklace and Leaf received it on her earring. It seems that the accessories were perfect for such a thing.

"Thank you very much, lady Ho-oh!" The three children spoke in unison. Ash didn't have to translate since Ho-oh spoke through telepathy. Surrounding pokémon stayed silent as they flew with the legendary and they simply took in its mighty presence.

" **It is no problem, children. I bless each of you on your journey to find what you dream for. Excitement, friendship, happiness and so on I wish you all the best. May we see each other in the future.** " Ho-oh said softly and Ash couldn't help but take a picture of Ho-oh first.

"Wait, before you go… Is it okay if I send a picture of you to Professor Oak? I'm sure he will love to find out that you have reappeared to us," Ash knew of the legends and so he asked this to be sure. Ho-oh merely let out another chuckle as she flew further and further.

" **It is fine, young Chosen. Sam has his own experience with legendaries but has never met me. I am sure this picture will give him proof of that you are speaking the truth of me. Now, have a pleasant day children. Fearow, I understand your situation but be careful of the younger children. I don't want a pokémon to be 'put down' for wounding young children and possibly crippling or ending their lives.**

Fearow nodded to her words as they watched her leave. Flying over the rainbow.

 _Truly, Ho-oh is what is known as the Storm's End. The rain completely ended and parted for her as she left._

* * *

After their humbling experience of seeing a Legendary _on their first day no less_ they arrived in Viridian City and thanked the flying type pokémon for helping them out.

They soon walked into the pokémon center. It seems Jenny remained silent after spotting so many Fearow and Spearow and didn't dare to go along. Not like she believed that humans are being brought by them or anything.

"Nurse Joy," Gary began as he walked up in front of the trio. "Can you heal our pokémon? They have no wounds but a few minutes in the recovery machine will do."

Nurse Joy smiled kindly at the children. "Of course. As you wait, will any of you sign up to the Pokémon League championship this year?"

Gary and Ash smiled as they held up their Pokédex. On the screen stood the league symbol as well as their junior professor trainer card so the services are free for one and they are already signed up.

Leaf merely showed hers for the free service.

"Only Leaf here will not join but we have signed up, yes." The two boys nodded to Nurse Joy.

The nurse giggled in return, giving them a soft smile. "You three sure are prepared. I haven't seen you three in a while though, how has everything been?"

The four began chatting and talking about their progress and study under professor Oak.

 _How did they know this nurse? Well…_

 **[ Flashback: Start ]**

"Ash, you know it's stupid to be in the forest without any pokémon!" Gary called out at Ash who simply walked on without any fear. He knew the surrounding pokémon anyway.

"Oh calm down Gary, it's not like we don't know any of them. Right, Raticate?" Ash asked one of the Raticate who were near a tree and it nodded in return. They knew of the boy after all.

Gary let out a long sigh. They were now 9 years old and still hadn't received a pokémon but Ash in all his glory walked on after he heard a pokémon cry in pain.

That was when the two spotted a wounded Chansey. It was still very young and seemed to be covered in wounds from what seemed to be a fight… and a human foot print was on its body?!

Ash and Gary glowered as they spotted the Chansey before Ash rushed up to her and began using small heal pulses. He wasn't good at them yet and Gary did the same to help her out as best as they can. They could only close the wounds and not heal her completely.

"Raticate, call for Machop! We need to bring her to the pokémon center!"

Raticate, in the distance, nodded with a cry of _'Roger_!' and left at a high speed with Quick Attack. A few minutes later a Machop was running in their direction with a determined face.

"Machop, can you bring her with us to the Pokémon Center in Viridian City?" Ash asked his fighting type friend who grunted and nodded. Its face showed distaste at the foot print of a human and the dried up wounds.

Picking up the Chansey, the boys left to Viridian City.

* * *

"Nurse Joy!" Two boys screamed in worry. Leaf wasn't with them today because she was with her family.

A young nurse with pink hair turned around smiled softly before spotting the Chansey being carried by a Machop. She instantly rushed up to them. "What happened?!"

"I heard a cry of a pokémon," Ash spoke up first and took the lead, "so I investigated and saw this wounded Chansey. Machop here is also wild but I asked him to carry her here."

Nurse Joy nodded with a serious face. "Bring her to the emergency room."

 **[ Flashback: End ]**

" _Ash, Gary! Leaf too!"_ two cheerful pokémon cries could be heard as a large Machoke and a Chansey walked up to the children. Of course, Ash understood them.

"Hello Chansey! Woah, Machoke, you trained well." Ash looked at the evolution of Machop who rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. It was Ash who helped him after all.

" _I trained hard and now we're Joy's pokémon. I protect the center whereas Chansey helps her out."_ Machoke told them of the situation and the three children smiled. Well, the other two after Ash translated.

"Glad to hear that Machoke! Let's talk after a meal though, I'm hungry," Ash mumbled rubbing his stomach that let out a growl worthy of a Pyroar.

The four humans and their pokémon laughed.

" _Always the same Ash!"_ Pikachu said cheerfully as he hopped to the dining area. The others followed as Nurse Joy took a small break and let her assistant take charge.

They had a pleasant meal as they talked about their adventures so far and Machoke nearly spit out his food after seeing a picture of Ho-oh. Nurse Joy merely gasped and Chansey shrugged it off with a smile. It's Ash, Gary and Leaf! Those three always have their adventures!

Of course after their meal they went to call the professor on their find and told him of what happened. Ignoring the Fearow activities as Oak was used to the three being able to do so and the fact a Gyarados now lived in Route 01 they began to talk about Ho-oh.

"So professor! We met Ho-oh!" Ash said cheerfully at the telephone screen. Oak did a proper spit take and stared at Ash. "What are you talking about Ash?! Ho-oh hasn't been seen for ages!"

"It's true gramps. Look at a recent picture Ash uploaded to your computer," Gary explained with a calm voice and a smile. He knew his grandfather would be happy with the picture.

Soon enough, a picture that Ash made revealed the Ho-oh in its full glory. Oak couldn't help but happily smile.

"Thank you, you three! Ho-oh hasn't been seen since ages! How come you met it?"

"We met her after flying on Spearow. She mentioned Ash as the Chosen or something and gave us gifts," Leaf explained why as she held out her sack of Sacred Ash and showed the Rainbow Wing she received. Oak nodded eagerly at hearing this information.

"She mentioned that I will meet many legendaries to either save them or help them," Ash spoke up as he looked serious. This was a serious conversation after all. Oak seemed to turn more serious after he mentioned that.

"Hmm… I will keep track of all legendary activities. You three just make sure you are on your journeys and have fun. I will mention anything if I hear about the legendaries, is that understood?" Oak said in a serious voice. He wouldn't let children bear a burden after all.

"Yes sir!" Three voices said in sync as they soon talked about some minor things and ended the call.

The conversation with their mother/aunt was pretty much the same and she said that when they meet Ho-oh they have to bring an offering.

Ending the call there, the three children just shrugged and went to bed. Their worn clothing which became wet just went into the drying machine as they put on their respective pajamas and went into their shared room. _What? Two boys and a girl? They're kids and change in the bathroom, separately!_

* * *

It was when Ash was discussing some things with Pikachu and still hadn't gone to sleep that the electricity shut down.

"Pi, what's going on?" Ash asked in a hushed voice. Umbreon woke up after hearing some minor crashes as if something was being forcefully opened and woke up his trainer. Nidorina did the same to leaf.

"It seems we've got a robbery going on," Gary spoke up as he stood up. He didn't mind walking barefoot so the three would silently move out of their room without making any noise until they spotted two humans and a Meowth.

"Ha! Told you James, this place will have countless rare pokémon!" Jessie told her partner who hesitated somewhat. This is a pokémon center, they will essentially steal _hurt_ pokémon.

James let out a sigh. "If that is what you say, Jessie. I still say it's not worth it."

Meowth didn't like it one bit but agreed with Jessie. She always threatened to capture him if he didn't follow their order. "Ye, let's do dis."

Three children nearly gasped when they heard that but that was when the trio saw them jump in and run up to Nurse Joy. They called out a Koffing and Ekans to threaten her.

"We're from Team Rocket!" They shouted as nearby trainers began walking up and gasped at the sight. They saw that Nurse Joy was being handled like that but what they didn't know was that Machoke was as silent as a ghost.

"Hand over the pokémon in this center, all of them! Those kids their pokémon too!" Jessie screamed an order as Nurse Joy denied it fiercely, mentioning that only hurt pokémon are here.

That was when Jessie did a foolish thing. She slapped Nurse Joy and told her to do it nonetheless.

That was also the moment Meowth noticed a Machoke in the shadows.

..That was also the moment he spotted red eyes. As well as another pair of glowing red, a pair of glowing blue and sparks coming from behind the door to the resting rooms.

"Meowth. Those ain't gon' be happy," he mumbled as he looked down. He didn't want to do this but it seems he was going to get hit.

Ash, with some minor abilities unlocked as he got angry, could see pure taint within Jessie. The pokémon had none, not even the talking Meowth and James had much less.

" _Maaachooooooke!"_ A Machoke roared and ran to Jessie with a Mega Punch fully charged. Ekans jumped in to protect her trainer and took the hit head on only to get blasted into Jessie and both were knocked out.

It was then that a thunder wave happened and paralyzed James and his Koffing… wait, did that thing let out gas?

"GET DOWN!" Ash shouted in a hurry as everyone took cover and jumped down. Meowth was fast enough to do so as well before the explosion occurred.

Yes, that spark of electricity seemed to have an effect on the gas pokémon and it promptly exploded and took a large part of the building along with James, Jessie and their pokémon.

That was also what woke up everyone in the nearby area.

Ash, spotting the Meowth quickly ordered Pikachu to use thunder wave on him as well.

"So, Team Rocket decided to rob this center…" Gary mumbled as he and Umbreon walked with Ash to the Meowth. It was obvious the pokémon was terrified of what might happen as he tried crawling away.

A shame most of his battle instincts were gone, but they could be recovered.

Ash saw this and couldn't help but frown. This Meowth is an alright pokémon and he wouldn't… Wait.

"Guys? Let me," Ash said as he walked to Meowth and crouched down.

"What, twerp? Gon' laugh at me?" The Meowth was hostile and that is to be expected. Nearby trainers were curious and Nurse Joy simply smiled. This was Ash after all.

Ash shook his head. "Why are you with them?" Ash asked as he looked at Meowth. Meowth sighed and looked down, deciding to just go with the truth. No need to act tough since he'll only get hurt.

"I was found by Team Rocket after walking around cities. Because I could speak, Jessie and James often made me tag along. I wasn't captured because of that though since I argued I wouldn't even say a word if they did, but Jessie often threatened me anyway. I needed a place to live and food so… I joined them," The Meowth honestly explained. This time in perfect English as Ash frowned.

The frown soon changed in a kind smile. "Well, I see a very cool pokémon. I can see lots of untapped potential as you learned to move on two feet. That's something very few Meowth learn you know," Ash spoke softly as he moved his hand to pet the Meowth.

Meowth nearly cried out when Ash did that. _Was that boy being so kind to him after hearing that he joined Team Rocket?_

Ash thought about many things before nodding. "How about you join me?" Ash asked and drew everyone's attention. They didn't expect the boy to do that. Even Meowth couldn't believe it.

"You'd have me? Some stray cat that is part of Team Rocket?" Meowth asked softly, looking at Ash.

Ash simply smiled kindly at the Cat Pokémon. "Of course. I will take care of you, train you and make you one of the strongest of your species. How does that sound, Meowth? I won't force you to evolve either if you don't want to. "

While many trainers admired the boy, they had to frown at the idea of Team Rocket pokémon joining him… but that soon changed as Meowth began tearing up and was recovered with a Paralyze Heal.

"I… I'd.. Love to, sir. What's your name?" Meowth asked with hope in his voice. A human just asked him to join his team, promised him good food and care as well as training. He wouldn't force him to evolve either.

"My name is Ash Ketchum. My dream is to become a Master. Will you help me achieve that, Meowth?" Ash asked as he held out a hand.

Meowth looked at the boy's red eyes before something woke up in himself. His nature, his true desires, his will to help the boy after he offered him a chance to get away from Team Rocket.

"Yes. I will help ya," Meowth said this time in determination. _Ash's antics strike yet again._

 _Thus, Meowth joined Ash his family._

* * *

 **Hey guys! How's this for a quick upload? I want to do a lot of things such as capturing wild pokémon and making friends to have a story.**

 **I still fail somewhat at flashbacks, but I try! How did you like this chapter? It is indeed shorter than most, but I did my best to entertain you readers. Next chapter will of course be Viridian Forest. Will Misty be there, I wonder? She did escape on her bicycle.**

 **What are your opinions of Meowth? I tried making it more forced that he joined because Meowth often showed kind emotions when alone with Pikachu. I believe that Meowth will be a great addition to Ash's team, even if it requires a lot of work for the year. In this year, I intend to make Meowth reach at least low-league level.**

 **Also, I don't make them too strong. Right now, they're considered level 20-30 in a level 1-10 area (with flock leaders and such as exceptions). Think of it like that. Experience won't be gained easily and eventually they'll meet their matches and have harder battles.**

 **Now I'll start working on the story of Viridian! Can't wait to introduce another pokémon for Ash as well as Leaf! Who knows what they will get? ( Wait I spoiled Ash's… Darn. Well, look forward to Leaf's!)**

 **I would love to hear comments for improvements! Follow and Favorite to follow this story as I try my best to upload as much as I can. Please understand that I do have work and so little time. I will try to upload another chapter (possibly 2?) today! I made this one in two hours after all.**


	3. Road to Pewter Through the Forest

**Well here's another chapter guys!**

 **Just for Mekkyaku I will mention the following: Jessie and James are pathetically weak in the beginning. Really, a Koffing and Ekans without using any smart tactics got beaten by a Machoke that trained under the children who made an _encyclopedia for pokémon training_. Yes, it was rushed… but they'll return. Ain't they Team Rocket? You'll hear more from them but I won't go crazy on it for every single chapter. No offense here though. I understand why you said so. I just couldn't be bothered with them as I find poachers and the likes far more challenging to write. Once they become more competent I'll see if I can add them again. Gotta keep a running gag somehow… Mmm…**

 **P.S. This chapter soon 'nough for ya?**

 **Also the question about Charizard. While this may be a spoiler: Yes, he will return. He will not return until a later region though. Johto is where Ash visits him and trains with him for a while but he will eventually join Ash. Why not earlier? 'Cause I want Charizard to be a beast like in the anime. Charific Valley allows such a thing to occur. It's like a Charizard Day-care for now.**

 **This chapter involves… More pokémon capturing! More battling! More training! Aaaand finally, meeting a horrible father! Why am I doing the catching so early, one would ask? Simple: I want team bonding as soon as possible but sadly some pokémon can only be captured in later areas. Thus, Ash will only have 5 pokémon by the time he hits Cerulean City. What's the fifth one would ask? Ha! That's a secret. It's a pokémon many seem to forget but has awesome potential. It's also a pokémon that will force Ash to change his battle style of being simply agile and powerful. Right now he's far too focused on it. ( Pikachu Speed, Fletchinder Speed, Meowth Speed (after training of course), Fourth pokémon Speed ). I need him to have a rounder progress and so comes the fifth pokémon. Hinthint: It's a rock type!**

 **Oh and who liked what I did with Meowth? While Ash has aura and can understand every pokémon, having a pokémon that can speak is also useful for other trainers in the future if he needs to hide his ability. Meowth have a lot of potential and this one in particular has some nice egg moves. I'm holding back on egg moves next couple of pokémon however as I've been giving Gary and Leaf some monsters.**

 **Enjoy the chapter! I'd love to hear more from you guys and things to work on!**

* * *

It had been quite a night but after a good night sleep the three Pallet Town Prodigies were up and let out all their pokémon in the training area of the Pokémon Center for today's training.

"What's up boss?" Meowth asked as he yawned. It seems he was still in the Rocket Activities if he hadn't woken up fully.

"We're starting your training… After a quick scan on what your abilities are. The pokédex can see what kind of abilities you have, what gender you are and what moves you have. Want to see?" Ash smiled at Meowth, who looked interested in knowing what he can do. He still has to train after all. He promised Ash!

"Sure! I'm game. What about the others?" Meowth asked as he looked behind him.

Pikachu seemed to be training his tail for something, Fletchinder was practicing his ember which actually came out as fireballs instead of small embers, Umbreon was practicing Feint Attack and disappeared every now and often, Wartortle seems to be practicing Icy Wind to evolve it into Ice Beam and Blizzard later on, Spearow was getting instructions by Gary until he was flying and started doing aerial maneuvers, Nidorina was training Bite for future Crunch training, Ivysaur was practicing Vine Whip for Power Whip and a Swablu which he hadn't seen before - Actually, Swablu was sleeping the entire time because she was tired and so didn't make an appearance before - was using Disarming Voice.

"Well, you can see for yourself. Pikachu is actually training for Iron Tail which you will learn after mastering all the moves you know now, Fletchinder is training Ember for Flamethrower and the rest is pretty obvious," Ash wasn't really going to explain the others their training.

Meowth nodded in agreement. Seeing all these pokémon train made him jealous. Why hadn't he done this before instead of just messing around and eating?

"I know I need a lot of work, but please take care of me," Meowth spoke seriously as he looked up at his new trainer. Ash simply smiled.

"We start off with special weights," Ash mentioned as he went through his bag. It was a small body suit that forced one to use his muscles to move around. "Get used to this first before we start. I'll scan you meanwhile."

Opening his pokédex he activated the scan function on Meowth. He went for details scan, not the basic one which also reveals basic information of the species.

Name: Meowth

Species: Meowth

Special traits: Walks on two feet, human speech

Estimated level by the dex system: 14

Gender: Male

Ability: Technician

Hidden ability: Unnerve - ( **Locked** )

Known moves: Scratch, Growl, Bite, Fake Out, Fury Swipes

Specially taught moves:

Egg move(s): Assist ( **Locked** ), Hypnosis ( **Locked** )

 _Hidden power type: Psychic_

Ash whistled, completely impressed. "Psychic hidden power is nice for your fighting type weakness. Assist is amazing if I have a full party and you pull out a good move and Hypnosis is a nightmare for all your enemies. Actually, I believe Meowth can learn Nightmare too which is a good combo. Your moves are actually basic things you learn through instinct so we will master them first, alright?"

Meowth nodded as he was struggling with the new training gear. For training, he started to force himself to run. Ash smiled widely at that - Meowth took note of what to do best at the moment.

The three trainers got together as they started discussing future training.

"So Meowth has psychic abilities too huh? Hypnosis is very useful for capturing pokémon too. False Swipe and Hypnosis will weaken a pokémon for you to capture," Gary spoke up after seeing the scan and Ash agreed. Actually, Ash never revealed his scans of Pikachu and Fletchinder but neither did they reveal theirs.

Leaf decided to go first on her team. "Nidorina is practicing for Crunch. It's easier while she's still a Nidorina and Poison Fang can be learnt afterwards. Ivysaur is practicing for Power Whip. He wants to unlock his egg move. Finally, Swablu is practicing her moves to master them."

Ash nodded in agreement as he spoke of his own team next. "Pi is learning basics for Iron Tail as well as several movements to increase its power or decrease. It's just the question of learning to actually turn his tail into Iron and keep it that way until he's got it down. Falcon is practicing his ember which is nearly mastered. Afterwards comes Flamethrower and Steel Wing training. Meowth will first train his body, then his moves and then I'll start teaching him new moves. Actually, why isn't Swablu training her body?" Ash asked Leaf who shrugged in response.

"Swablu is pretty high spec for now. I decided to train her body later to make her learn fly like you did for Fletchinder. Mastering moves at the moment is more important for me because I need various advantages."

Gary chuckled, "So typical of you Leaf, but good choice." He then held his pokédex and started his own training schedule. "Umbreon is training for Feint Attack. He will be a gift from Arceus against Sabrina if she doesn't have a miracle eye psychic type or different moves from the usual psychic things. I'll let Umbreon take charge so she can't read my moves," Ash and Leaf had to agree that Sabrina could cheat very easily. "Next is Wartortle. I'm training his Icy Wind to boost his ice type move usage into Ice Beam and later on Blizzard. Spearow for now is learning aerial maneuvers to properly dodge and then I'll focus on his aerial ace. I've also given him special weights for his wings so he's actually slower than usual."

The three nodded before looking at their pokédex.

"Viridian Forest is where we'll go next. Ash wants to check if this Froakie is still around, I'm interested in capturing a water type and Gary will most likely just train or look for a unique bug type. I did hear Scyther can be around. Will we travel together or away from each other?" Leaf started the idea for Viridian.

"Away from each other," both boys spoke in unison as they nodded. "We need to learn to travel through forests on our own. We now each have a flying type so they can lead us to each other. Heck, Ash can fly on his Fletchinder already." Gary spoke with a grin. "Can't wait for Spearow and Swablu to evolve. We'll be able to fly around which is a great boon to our training and traveling time. While I like walking and doing it at my own pace as we got a year, flying around in case of emergencies and such are the best way to go."

Leaf giggled as she dreamed of a fluffy, heavenly Altaria. She definitely liked the idea of owning a dragon type too.

Ash just grinned as he knew out of experience that flying is awesome.

"So we have our plans set. Let's prepare the special growth food for our pokémon for today," Ash changed the topic so they can start making special food for their pokémon. They had to be delicious and good for their growth otherwise they'll never grow strong. Pokéchow is pretty much for during travels but when they're at a center or with each other they can cook for the pokémon.

* * *

"Man that training is rough! I feel great for some reason though," Meowth mumbled as he was hanging on Ash's other shoulder. Seeing how Meowth is used to walk around he hung on Ash's other shoulder with Pikachu next to him.

" _I know. The training can be very hard and be happy you're not with Dragonite in the beginning. Nonetheless, you did well for your first day. The reason you feel great is because of the food they make and Nurse Joy restores you after training, making your body instantly adapt to the new things. It slowly gets harder and harder until Ash says you can master your moves. Don't worry, he knows what he's doing._ " Pikachu explained to Meowth, seeing as he's the 'leader' of Ash's team. Umbreon was currently doing the same to Spearow.

The group didn't take long to arrive at the forest entrance. They could hear screeching and shouting that was eerily familiar to that orange haired girl with the Gyarados but seeing how she messed up last time they were not going to bother.

"This reminds me.. Spearow, don't attack these guys," Ash looked at Spearow who nodded. Ash then whistled loudly as a loud cry of a bird pokémon could be heard and soon enough a Pidgeot flew towards them.

"Hello Pidgeot. How is your flock doing in Viridian Forest? Also, don't attack Spearow, he's part of Gary's team now." Ash mentioned it since Pidgeot was looking at the Spearow as if knowing him from somewhere. _Ah, rival flocks_.

" _Everything is fine, Ash. We've been doing great ever since you taught us some moves. I see you've meet our rival flock,"_ with that said Pidgeot fully turned to the Spearow and nodded in respect. _"I've met with the Fearow and he mentioned you. We've made peace somewhat as we want to protect our respective territories. While we have tons of berries so we bring them some every now and then, they can bring us well… other kinds of food."_

Spearow nodded in return, showing respect for the giant bird. He didn't know his trainer was familiar with his rival flock and he still wanted a Fearow. It made the Spearow happy inside.

"Great to hear that," Gary said after Ash translated everything. The Pidgeot had patience since he knew about Ash's gift. "Can you help us out though?"

Pidgeot blinked before tilting his head curiously. " _What may I help you wish, Gary?_ " He spoke in curiosity. Ash translated it again before Gary smiled. "I am looking for a strong bug type pokémon. Maybe a Scyther? Ash is looking for that rumored Froakie to see if he's interested in joining his team and come with him on his journey while Leaf seems interested in a water type pokémon as well."

Pidgeot nodded slowly before deciding to speak about the situations. " _There are a few swarms of Scyther around. I can bring you around to ask for a chance to get one. Leaf and Ash can go together since Frogadier, Froakie's evolved form, stays with the other water types. I must warn you though. The Scyther here are fiercer than in the Safari Zone and Frogadier doesn't like humans too much._ "

Ash translated it again and Gary nodded. It was a good idea to go with this so he happily returned Umbreon before letting Spearow fly next to Pidgeot and he went off with them. Soon after a Pidgeotto came down to guide Ash and Leaf.

"Well Leaf, we do have benefits from helping out pokémon close by huh?" Ash laughed softly as he looked around. There were lots of bug types and a few Beedrill were looking at them before going on their way. Ash was a familiar sight so they wouldn't attack him and his friends.

"Yes, who knew we had such benefits by helping them out?" Leaf smiled widely.

" _What did you help them out with?_ " Pikachu and Nidorina asked at the same time so Ash decided to answer. "Well, you know our encyclopedia project. We started thinking hard about what moves Pidgeot can learn and the dex did indeed mention they reach mach speeds. Why can they only learn Quick Attack? We then found ways to make them able to use Extremespeed and in return got permission to stay here whenever with as much help as we'd like. Right, Pidgeotto?" Ash asked the flying-type pokémon who stayed close to them. The pokémon in question nodded.

"Wow. I didn't know dat you could get so much for bein' nice… then again, I couldn't be nice with those two guys," Meowth mumbled silently but Ash and Leaf could hear him. Ash was as kind as ever as he smiled at Meowth.

"Don't worry, Meowth. Your life will change with me as we become stronger. You may be the weakest in my team now but your versatile movepool makes you a beast to fight against in the future. Heck, Persian may learn some stronger moves but you are special by being able to stand on two feet. Maybe you can learn moves such as Mega Kick and Mega Punch now due to your special growth."

Meowth instantly perked up in interest. His trainer really was a good one so he grinned happily. "Thanks boss! I'll do my best."

Leaf smiled and pet the Meowth on his head. "Don't worry Meowth. Ash is one of the kindest guys there are. He also won't discard you for others. Actually, he can carry more than six pokémon so you'll be with him the entire journey. He made a promise to only capture 6 pokémon for a main team each region."

Meowth enjoyed the touch with a soft purr. "I see… Glad ta be with ya then, Ash. You ain't so bad compared to others… Actually, yer probably the better one."

Ash blushed in slight embarrassment before waving at a few Beedrill who nodded and went on their way to protect their hives.

" _Ash, what will you do when you reach Johto though? We're going to the Orange Islands after Kanto,_ " Pikachu mentioned the problem that he'll have. Yes, he can easily take care of 12 pokémon but above that is becoming harder.

Thinking about it, Ash smiled a bit. "Well, obviously new ones will stay with me. I will make space for six pokémon and depending on what pokémon I will capture in Johto, I will change the roster. Of course, I'll switch every now and then so you guys aren't forgotten. That is, until we learn a new way of feeding over 12 pokémon without taking ages to cook. Maybe a breeder can travel with me?"

Turning her head at the conversation, Leaf had to agree with Ash. A breeder to help you feed your pokémon as well as grow up in another part of pokémon care will be a great boon to a journey.

" _We're here,_ " Pidgeotto's voice reached their ears as well as attracting Leaf's attention. It was obvious why it made such a call.

In front of them was a large lake and they could see a few water types hanging around. Leaf smiled happily as she went ahead to decide who might be a good addition to her journey whereas Ash was looking around and saw something that made his blood boil.

"Pi. Meowth. We're going to battle a trainer. Someone is using all of his pokémon on that Frogadier, that's just plain bullying and forcing someone to join. No respect for the pokémon." Ash frowned in disgust as he saw that chubby trainer thinking he can get that Frogadier in such a cheap way.

Facing Frogadier was a Raichu, Charmeleon and a Beedrill.

Ash joined the battle soon after on Frogadier's side which made the opposite trainer growl angrily.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt on that Beedrill, Meowth use Fake Out on Charmeleon. Frogadier, I know you're tired but use Water Pulse on Charmeleon while it's flinching."

Ash took instant command over the battle and it turned tides like a massive tsunami overcame the earlier battle. Instantly, Beedrill was knocked out with a powerful thunderbolt and Meowth's fake out made Charmeleon flinch. A Water Pulse in the face made him go down for the count as well.

"Now, who do you think you are, scum? Teaming on a wild pokémon is plain abuse like that as well as not respecting the wild pokémon." Ash growled angrily as his maroon eyes began to glow an eerie red.

The opposite trainer, a chubby boy around the age of fifteen began to say words that would make a sailor proud. "You shut up brat! That rare _thing_ is mine! Raichu, use thunder!"

Pikachu laughed at the effort Raichu needed to use thunder before absorbing it with his Lightningrod ability. "Pikachu, return the favor with a thunderbolt. Both pokémon _and trainer_. Send them flying."

Let it be known that you do not simply piss off Ash and get away with it.

A large thunderbolt, far larger than Raichu's thunder, raced at the opponents which immediately fell unconscious… and a large explosion followed with sending them all flying off in a group.

"Hmph. Weak trainer thinks he can just capture wild pokémon like that, disgusting." Ash spit on the dirt as he walked to Frogadier. It seemed to be on high alert with Ash around but Ash just shrugged.

"I did come here to capture you," Ash said and had to dodge a water pulse aimed for his head, "but I'm not interested in doing it when you're weak."

Now _that_ interested Frogadier. This trainer had some honor it seemed and while Frogadier disliked humans because of them trying to capture it all the time, it wouldn't mind giving a chance if they actually asked. Well, maybe give a chance, he had to think about it.

"Sit still for a bit," Ash put a hand on top of Frogadier's head before a light purple pulse surrounded him a few times. Wounds began to heal and soon enough the Frogadier stared at Ash in amazement.

" _What did you do?_ " He asked in a cautious voice. Why was he feeling better?

Ash shocked him again by simply replying, "I healed you with my Aura. Some heal pulse rip-off as my friend calls it," he chuckled.

" _You… can heal pokémon and can talk to them. You sure you're not a pokémon?_ " Frogadier asked this time in awe.

Meowth laughed with Pikachu at seeing the water type pokémon so amazed. " _He's just Ash,_ " Pikachu said.

"Ya know, Frogadier, Ash is a pretty nice guy. Saved me from some guys called Team Rocket. You might wanna consider joining him," Meowth tried convincing but it wouldn't have too much effect. Ash just smiled and pet Meowth's head. "Frogadier can decide. I don't want to force pokémon in my team, that's just going to have a negative effect on their training."

Frogadier perked up, " _Training?_ " He asked in curiosity.

"This kid here has special training menus for all kinds of pokémon. He even made some special tool which shows the best ways to teach pokémon moves and what kinda food they need," Meowth said as he recalled the encyclopedia that Ash showed him before to show him his future moves.

Frogadier had to sit down for a bit. " _Interesting… Can you give me time to decide? You actually asked so I'm more interested in joining you than others._ "

Ash smiled happily at Frogadier as he sat down next to him. "Well we can watch Leaf try to capture a new pokémon… It seems she's battling a…" Ash had to blink a few times before narrowing his eyes. "A freakin' Quagsire. They're good in battle with their slippery body… Pretty rare here. Are there lots of them around?" Ash asked the water type next to him.

Frogadier shook his head, " _Quagsire and a Krabby are the only ones pretty rare here outside of me. At least, that's what I heard some people say."_

Ash nodded as he thought about it. Now he wondered how Gary's trip was going.

* * *

" _Geot! Pi, pid!_ " Pidgeot was speaking to a swarm of Scyther that had been training hard on learning Slash. They learned Cut just a week ago so they were training for the next, stronger move.

" _Scyy. Scyther. Scy._ " A Scyther nodded. This one was pretty young and seemed to be more inexperienced than the others but the Scyther had a much larger curiosity of the world than the others. That's why this one was interested.

Gary, who was standing back, looked at the young Scyther. "You wish to battle me, to give me a chance to capture you?" He asked just to be sure. He didn't have Ash with him so he had to ask to be certain. Seeing a nod in return made Gary smile and he held out his hand.

"I see. I wish you luck in the battle. My name is Gary Oak," He introduced himself before the battle. Always nice to have a 'duel' so to say. His reply was Scyther doing the same.

"Let's start off then. Spearow, Umbreon stay on the side. Spearow, look closely at how I'll battle with Wartortle and switch between moves smoothly. That's what I'll expect from you later, okay?"

Spearow nodded with an interested look. Hopping down, Spearow carefully remained on top of Umbreon who didn't mind as they were going to watch the battle.

Several Scyther were interested as well so they began to form a line. They did give them space for the battle. The boy was going to teach his pokémon with this battle so they might be able to see some good stuff.

"Then let's begin. Wartortle, I choose you!" Wartortle came out with a roar, landing in a crouch and confidently smiling. This was going to be a good battle. " _War, wartortle!_ " He spoke which was returned by the Scyther who smiled as well.

" _Let's have a good match._ "

With that it started. Scyther moved in with its superior speed but before the Scyther could use Cut on Wartortle, the pokémon jumped up in the sky and forced his body to spin at a high speed. This was what Wartortle did to deflect moves against Spearow. Spearow silently took note that he did this as a means to prevent another move.

Scyther, seeing that this might be tough to slash again, jumped backwards. However, Wartortle during his spin began to use his water gun turning it into a combination move as he flew towards the Scyther. Both water gun and rapid spin hit the Scyther head on but the bug type stood strong. He did admire the tactic though. Wartortle soon popped out and turned to Scyther, ready for the next move.

Scyther around them also noted that Gary didn't mention a thing. This Wartortle seemed to be trained to move independently as well.

However, his opponent won't go down easily! Scyther began to rush around the Wartortle and speeding up. Gary instantly noted this as Agility so he did the best thing he could.

"Icy wind on the ground," he ordered to change the battlefield. Wartortle listened intently to that order as he thought on what to do. Firing a breath of ice and snow, the field slowly turned into an ice field.

Scyther, who was previously using agility had to stop and began to slide forward.

"Water Gun!" and Scyther was promptly hit in the face with a powerful water gun.

Scyther in turn grunted and began to use his Vaccuum Wave moves, cutting air and sending vaccuum strikes at the Wartortle. This, in turn, couldn't be dodged because Wartortle didn't have time to do so after a water gun. A loud cry of pain was heard, proving Scyther to hold quite a bit of power.

"Wartortle, Aura Sphere. Fire two rapidly." Wartortle grunted as he stood firm again. This little damage was nothing compared to Dragonite's Tail Whip! A result was two orbs of Aura flying at the Scyther but it seems that Scyther wouldn't go down easily.

Two slashes with Cut and the aura sphere was turned into half before dissolving. Scyther took that as a chance as he used Quick Attack and Pursuit in rapid succession.

"Wartortle, Iron Defense and take it. Use bite after catching the move." Wartortle grunted as he turned metallic before taking Scyther's pursuit head on. Then, he stretched his head and bit into Scyther's arm and threw him away.

"Icy Wind!" The last attack needed to down a Scyther. A times four effective Icy Wind hit it straight on and it was slammed into a nearby tree.

"Great battle, Wartortle." Gary said with a grin as he walked to his partner who cheered happily and was promptly healed by his trainer. That's when he turned to the Scyther who already began coming by.

"So, did I prove myself?" Gary asked the young Scyther. It stared at the Wartortle with respect before looking at Gary with a resolute nod. He definitely wanted to join this boy on his journey if that's what made this Wartortle so strong.

Gary smiled happily as he pulled out his blue cherish ball. He caught his fourth pokémon which he soon called out and began to use heal pulse on.

"Did you see what happened, Spearow? We took advantage of the field, combined moves, followed up after moves. These kind of things are what I do compared to other trainers who simply try to overpower and endure. Of course, Wartortle knows Protect but it's not perfected yet. This is what I will train you for, okay?" Gary explained it calmly to his third pokémon, which indirectly was the same for Scyther.

Both pokémon nodded and Gary showed a small smile and turned to the swarm of Scyther who cheered for the great battle and insightful lesson.

"Thank you for giving me a chance. I wish you Scyther luck and be careful when going alone. These forests have a few trainers that return from Pewter City and that city has a lot of rock types. They're pretty much your natural enemy," Gary warned them with kindness in his voice. The Scyther nodded as they began their training again this time with far more vigor.

"Pidgeot, you can take care of your flock. I'll let Spearow guide me to Ash for his training, okay?" Gary told the large Pidgeot, which also watched the match with interest, to go ahead to his flock and mate.

Pidgeot nodded with a cheerful expression before flying up and going home.

"Let's go find the others, shall we?" Gary asked his pokémon which were out of their pokéball. He didn't return them so they could bond with each other and tell Scyther about their trainer and his friends.

As they were doing so a loud explosion was heard nearby which startled many pokémon. The reason behind it? Ah, _Team Rocket_.

* * *

"Congratulations on capturing the Quagsire, Leaf," Ash complimented his best friend who happily cheered with her Ivysaur. Quagsire was already healed and just smiled at the sight of such a trainer. She liked her new trainer, friend and family.

Frogadier was watching the battle and the capture with intense eyes the entire time. Leaf used very tactical moves and made complicated orders when needed to. She didn't even need to worry when an attack hit because she trusted her pokémon.

Ivysaur proved to be a real fighter for his trainer. Frogadier could definitely admire that. He was about to ask Ash for a battle until…

 ** _KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_**

A loud explosion went off near them shocking all pokémon and making them run away. Above the forest was a large meowth themed hot air balloon and it seems that two humans were in it. It seems they dropped a bomb nearby.

"What the… They might have hurt pokémon! Falcon, use Ember and blast them away!"

Falcon nodded with all too much eager at those _foolish humans_ who _dared_ to do such a thing. Firing large blasts of fireballs instead of simple embers, the fire type awaited what would happen.

It seems that they were smarter than before as Jessie and James jumped down by using a rope before the attack hit… and started their horrible, horrible theme song.

"... Was it always dat bad?" Meowth mumbled as he stared at the two Team Rocket members.

Jessie instantly took charge as she called out her Ekans. "Grab that Frogadier! The boss will love it as a souvenir!" To be honest, she bit off more than she can chew as the Frogadier in question gave the Ekans a nice meal in the form of a Water Pulse.

"Come out Koffing! Use Poison Gas on all of them!" James took the lead now as he was hoping to get this done as soon as possible. Jessie was getting way too annoying and he hoped to get away from her as soon as possible… or at least that she shut her mouth.

"Meowth, watch closely. I'll take the lead now," Ash whispered to the Meowth as he walked up front. In front of him jumped Pikachu.

"Quick Attack. Follow it with Tail Whip and if you can manage; Iron Tail." Ash ordered as the Pikachu held his breath and ran into the poison gas. A small light could be seen before the cry of a Koffing was heard.

"Falcon, use gust to blast this gas away," Ash was calm and collected the entire time but on the inside, he was pretty angry… Team Rocket got on his nerves. He does not like it when they do that.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt on Koffing and Ekans when you're done. Falcon, use Ember to help him out." Both pokémon nodded and fired their respective attacks which simply knocked out both pokémon.

"Hmph! Meowth, grab that boy's pokéballs and come over here! Enough acting already!" Jessie screeched in anger as she lost again. Meowth though, stayed still with an empty look on his face… Why would he listen to Jessie? Ash was his trainer.

Meowth wouldn't let his trainer feel loss because of some arrogant girl… It's time he moved in himself and showed her a piece of his mind.

With the training of this morning, Meowth already gained quite a bit of muscle and speed. He didn't know how much, but it was obvious that he was much faster now. He used Fake Out on Jessie which made her flinch and get dizzy before using a very mean scratch in her face. That Scratch soon turned into Fury Swipes as he remembered the times Jessie hit him.

Without any regrets and leaving her bleed like that, Meowth twisted his body in air and slapped her straight in the face with a Tail Whip similarly to what he had seen Pikachu do. This promptly knocked out Jessie. After that, he jumped back and growled at James.

"I ain't gon' hurt ya James, but get her away. I got caught by Ash an' he's my trainer now. I quit Team Rocket," Meowth spoke in barely hidden anger at Jessie. James could only nod. "Meowth… I wish you happiness with that boy. I hope things will be good for you now." James spoke with a smile to his friend.

Meowth flinched before looking at James. "You should try to get yer friend Growlie back… Break in your house, open that dog house 'n get out. Your parents summer house has a Carnivine too rite? Why don't ya take them, quit Team Rocket, turn yourself in ta a Professor and explain why."

James looked down as he bit his lip… He couldn't deny that it was a good idea. "I'll see what I can do. If I get it right, can I at least have your number for contact? I swear I won't tell anyone." James promised as he bowed as low as possible.

Ash let out a small sigh as he looked at James. "It's fine… Just use my trainer ID to contact me on my Xtransceiver. It's 1300291 - ASH." He looked at James before his eyes turned cold and began to glow. "I hope you will not break that promise. I might just contact Dragonite and go with Oak and Lance and start an attack on Team Rocket. We already know where your base is, even without Meowth saying it. The only reason Team Rocket is still around is because of those admins of yours that will most likely be even worse than Giovanni."

Yes, Ash knew all too well who was the leader. Sadly, Giovanni's Rocket Admins were far, far worse than him. He spent days with Lance once and discussed some things with pokémon they captured from Team Rocket to get details out of them. Lance was obviously angered but was thankful of Ash and told him that if he wanted to in the future, he could receive a dragon pokémon from him. Ash refused that however saying that he wasn't ready to train a dragon pokémon.

James nodded a few times as he added Ash to his own Xtransceiver, hidden from everyone else as he had proper equipment with him. He then turned to Meowth with a teary smile. "If I get away, I hope I can come with you again Meowth. You were always fun," James said in a sad voice but Ash perked up somewhat and showed a smile. James was honest so he might extend a branch to help him.

"If you get away, I intend to start Johto in one and a half year. First Kanto, then Orange Islands. I don't know about who may travel with me but you can join up then. It also gives you time to get away from the Rockets. Giovanni won't care about a grunt quitting anyway."

James couldn't help but shed a tear at the kindness of that boy. He was at least 4 years older but Ash showed a maturity that even he didn't have. Nodding and turning around with a grin he spoke up, "Then you better train hard 'cause if I do get out, I'll train hard to catch up. You'll hear from me in the future… C'mon, Jessie." He grunted as he picked up a bleeding Jessie who's face will most likely receive a nice pair of scars…

Meowth let out a tired sigh. "Didn't know that James was dat kinda guy. I kinda like him like this." Meowth admitted it without shame as James was the one that often shared food with him. Jessie was greedy and never shared after all.

"I'm sure you'll meet him again Meowth, don't worry.. Now, Frogadier, you were saying?" Ash asked as he turned to the water type that patiently waited. Pikachu had long since returned to Ash's side and Falcon flew down next to him.

In Frogadier's eyes, Ash proved himself to be a good guy. A worthy trainer and above all, a boy that can deliver honest punishments on evil despite having a kind heart.

" _I wanted to say that I'll give it a try. If you win, I want to join you. If you lose… Well, we'll see. Impress me. Show me that you want me to join you. Show me your skill as a trainer and show me what you have done with your pokémon to make them stronger."_ Frogadier turned passionate as his red eyes grew a fire that many hadn't seen so far.

Heck, Quagsire was confirming if this was the same Frogadier that can be considered a loner.

"You're on. Falcon, you can take this one even if Pikachu has the advantage!" Ash challenged with a grin. He'd prove that Frogadier he was worthy by battling with a disadvantage. Though Falcon has the royal cheat code in him, he didn't have many moves to use against the Water-type.

The bomb luckily didn't cause a forest fire because an angry Suicune ( obviously because of the bomb ) was inside of the forest, watching who Lady Ho-oh showed interest to. It was also because Ash didn't see smoke that he didn't act.

* * *

"Let's get this show started. Falcon, sunny day!" Ash would take away most of the water type damage as he knew that most pokémon didn't learn dances so early.

The Fletchinder easily began to glow and the sun began shining harder than usual. It also turned up the heat which the fire type liked and it instantly began to use moves on its own. First came a large wave of wind that followed the pokémon; Tailwind. Second came Agility to boost its speed.

Fletchinder, who already was fast on its own, turned into a speed monster just like that.

Frogadier wouldn't go down easily though. Despite the heat, Frogadier used bubble to surround itself from any possible attack and began to plan for some tactics… which was promptly crushed when a large fireball was sent flying to him. Bubbles erupted and made the attack useless. Steam rose up and denied anyone from seeing within.

"Oh, not bad. Planning inside of a bubble like that, as well as creating steam…" He could see a shadow running around like a true ninja. It jumped trees at such a fast speed Ash nearly doubted his eyes but he wouldn't lose so easily. "Falcon! To your right, Tackle!" Tackle had more power than Quick Attack.

Both Frogadier's acrobatics attack and Falcon's Tackle collided, sending both pokémon flying. They were only equal because Falcon had his royal species gene. If he wasn't, he'd be the one sent back.

"Ember and surround it! Follow up with a spinning Quick Attack!"

Fireballs were sent around the Frogadier to prevent it from escaping easily. This can either be done by jumping up or going forward… and both were in Falcon's reach.

A white ray of light could only be seen as it began to spin nearly like a twister and hit the Frogadier straight on showing humongous power as it blasted the pokémon onto the lake. Frogadier however, didn't give up as his Torrent woke up.

Glowing blue, the Frogadier began to hold a Water Pulse in between his paws. Ash saw that and began to think up ways before it hit him.

"Spinning quick attack. Combine with Double Team!"

He was lucky that he said Double Team because Frogadier held a big… big water pulse. Very big. Something he did not want Falcon to get hit by easily. Bless you, Sunny Day. Bless you, Ho-oh.

The twister-like attack of Falcon multiplied and began to move in different directions. Frogadier however, wasn't stupid. He knew that one of them had to touch him to end the battle. He was hurt and definitely didn't mind joining Ash's team after seeing that spinning idea. It can be combined with his own Aqua Jet move that he created, but he couldn't use that move to get out now.

Holding the water pulse similarly to how Goku would hold a spirit ball the Frogadier jumped up. All the spinning attacks turned up to him and the giant water pulse was sent flying down. Both attacks collided. One was an orb of compressed water that moved around heavily and the other can be considered a drill.

Both attacks stood firm, grinding against each other. Nearby pokémon had started to sweat simply because of excitement at seeing such a battle going on… when the Water Pulse was sent flying upwards with the spinning attack.

Ah yes, physics. Such a good thing that Falcon picked up so many speed boosts. Frogadier can't match it in power by throwing it like that and so the very water pulse that, by the way also heavily damaged the Fletchinder, was sent downwards came up and blasted straight into Frogadier who was promptly knocked out.

The orb eventually exploded in the air and acted like rain, dousing all flames that came from Fletchinder's ember. The bird in question flew up and stopped twisting, creating a shining effect with the water. While wounded it was definitely happy with the battle and they could see the excitement in its eyes.

"Great job Fal! Now, without hesitation, go cherish ball!" Ash threw his red cherish ball towards the Frogadier who was knocked out. Falcon soon flew down to be healed and Ash and his pokémon were cheering happily at the new capture.

Heck, even Leaf was amazed at the last move… and Suicune, in the forest, hid a smile. A great battle so early in, it proved strength and skill. That Frogadier is after all, far more experienced than the rest of Ash's pokémon.

Ash quickly healed his Fletchinder and let out Frogadier whom he healed too.

"Great battle you two! I can't be more proud!" Ash cheered as Meowth and Pikachu were doing a dance together, obviously satisfied with the outcome.

Leaf giggled at the sight of such a childish boy. It really reminded her that they were children despite all of this going on.

"Guys, you okay? I saw that awesome battle just now but what was that explosion?!" Gary came rushing in with his pokémon, which the two trainers noted now had a Scyther, and met up with the other two.

"Ah, it was just Team Rocket. They wanted Frogadier I suppose."

Leaf shrugged. She didn't even battle them and didn't need to, she was still far stronger as a trainer than the two from before. James however had some talent in him whereas Jessie expects an Ekans to win against well trained pokémon.

A boy with a katana in the distance could only stare. He wanted to go and challenge them, prove his worth and show that he was better than the ones in Pallet Town like he did to two of the three trainers from before but… They were out of the range he can beat. Far out of it.

He silently promised himself to train harder with his pokémon. Maybe he should start training his Metapod and evolve it… Maybe he should start teaching Pinsir new moves. Perhaps branch out and travel.

"Let's go though. I don't want to stay here longer than needed. We can train better in Pewter City than here," Ash led the group as he kept his team out of their pokéball. Why wouldn't he? They weren't a Tyranitar so nobody can complain.

* * *

They soon arrived in Pewter City with tired breaths. The group of three had returned their pokémon after a while and complained to Ash he shouldn't have used such a strong Sunny Day because it definitely remained for a while.

Some bugs in the forest were very happy with it though.

Plopping down on some rock, Ash let out a tired sigh. For some reason however, he felt something in this rock resonate with him… and he was curious as he looked at it. He could feel something but he wouldn't mention it so early.

"Finally here… Man, a few trainers were being a pain too. Meowth got some nice experience though. Even Pikachu is too tired to get out of the pokéball."

Gary laughed mirthlessly as he opened his flask and gulped down some of his water. "That hits the spot. Want some Leaf, Ash?"

Both nodded and took a sip. _What? Indirect kisses were something that Japan complained about._

Now relaxed and seated, they could enjoy their rest.

"Hooo… Someone came from the forest like that. That's new. However, you three are sitting on my merchandise." A tall, dark skinned man told them as he folded his arms.

His face looked so fake though. Oh-so-fake.

Ash didn't bother mentioning it as he let out a sigh. "Well, we're tired.. If you want to complain, I'll buy this rock I'm sitting on. I like it enough to do so."

The man instantly gained a gleam in his eyes. This boy noticed eh? This boy noticed it very well… Flint could admire that. He smirked and let it go for cheap. "600."

Ash let out a yawn but paid 800. He wouldn't mind paying just a bit more. "Here's 800 for it. Just let us rest a bit and can you crack it open? I know you know," Ash smiled playfully.

Flint chuckled with mirth as he released a Rhydon. The Rhydon looked around before seeing the boy and the rock. It instantly looked at Ash. " _You figured it out, trainer?_ "

"Yeah, I figured it out. I felt some kinda connection, doesn't happen to ordinary rocks."

The Rhydon blinked a few times before shrugging it off. It's not the first time he had someone understand him in his long years of living. His hand began to glow before he used Brick Break on the rock and out of it came a fossil. This fossil was picked up by Ash and he put it in his backpack.

"Thanks for the purchase young man. If you three want, I'll bring you to the pokémon center. Come out, Rhyhorn." Flint called out two Rhyhorn that were often used for races in Pewter City and the children smiled before walking up to them and giving their horn a soft pet.

Flint almost, almost wanted to complain about it being unfair but remained silent.

"Let's go then, I'm exhausted." Ash complained as he jumped on top of Rhyhorn who took the weight like it's nothing. The rest followed up.

 _The group finally arrived in Pewter City. What adventure will they find here this time? Next time they will go on separate ways from each other but a promise will tie them together thicker than fate itself._

* * *

 **We have arrived in Pewter City! Welcome all to the latest chapter. How did you like this chapter? I tried not rushing Team Rocket 'cause Mekkyaku mentioned I did. Here they return, show some skill and Meowth got vengeance (Never liked Jessie, never will).**

 **I wonder who picked up some parts? Suicune was one of them. The three are now blessed by Ho-oh and thus the hounds are interested to watch them. Many legendaries can feel it too and will be slightly more positive to them.**

 **Here, I show a move 'Spinning Quick Attack'. This is basically like Kiba from Naruto's _Fang over Fang_. I found it appropriate for a move that a flying type pokémon can learn. **

**I also mentioned Frogadier knowing Aqua Jet. Yes, some pokémon will learn moves they normally can't. Any complaints of it in the anime? Nawh. Garchomp can fly in it. Aqua Jet fits Frogadier / Greninja though. I won't BS with them knowing moves they absolutely can't but some minor ones can be taught.**

 **I mean, Extremespeed is something a Pikachu has now. Nobody can complain about a Pidgeot knowing it… Right?**

 **Hope you guys liked this chapter! I'm tryin' my best for ya! Review, follow, favorite. I don't mind.** **Give me your honest opinions!**


	4. Road to Cerulean City

**Hey, hey. Here comes another chapter ya fellas! Another chapter which will finally reveal Ash's fifth pokémon. Fossil or not? Rock type it is. Can someone guess it, I wonder?!**

 **Fairy type? No. Clefable? No though I would've liked it. It reminds me of another story (which is awesome by the way) where he had a combative Clefable. Damn that thing was beast. The sixth pokémon will be caught much later.**

 **This chapter will be about Ash fighting Brock and promising to travel together and going through Mt. Moon! Will they discover what the Clefairy mean with their dance? Will Ash truly tell others what they say? What is the true origin of the Moon Stone? Come through the cave with only five pokémon. Of course a sad goodbye will be between Ash and his friends. More training cough torture cough for Meowth and the rest who need to get stronger and stronger or else he will lose gym battles from there on!**

 **Also, any suggestions on a second traveling partner? I know of one to go with them and it won't be Misty or any of the others that came with them before. This'll be a unique flair that only some have done before. I like the idea more because this _girl_ will actually be positive on Ash's mental/emotional growth! Better than bashing heads with a mallet… **

* * *

The three children have finally arrived at their promised goal: Pewter City. After having been carried by the disguised - which was later on confirmed - man his Rhyhorn they started their last couple of training sessions together.

Small battles were held where they tested each other out and confirmed that each of the three had advantages and disadvantages. While Meowth was still the weakest, he was starting to come closer and closer because of Ash's training. Heck, at times Meowth just wore it as they walked through Pewter City for training. Ash often said he couldn't be more proud of that.

Gary by now challenged Brock and won. He didn't mention what kind of pokémon he had to battle but did mention that the team he used was different compared to the ones he uses against real beginners. That was the only hint he said before he gave Ash a brotherly hug and Leaf the same. He left Pewter City first, saying that he wanted to go ahead and rush through the gyms so he can train as much as possible for the league.

Ash denied that saying he will take his time traveling, taking in sights and training his pokémon meanwhile. Leaf just stayed because she was curious what pokémon may come out of that fossil. Perhaps a Charmander? It's not always a pokémon of ancient that get restored from them. It can even be a Beldum.

She was just too curious about it but had to wait as Ash was taking his time training, preparing and learning a few moves.

Pikachu mastered Iron Tail and learnt to use Brick Break, though it's far from mastered. Falcon, the Fletchinder, learned Flamethrower and Steel Wing. He was often seen trying to master them, much to the community's happiness. Such an amazingly rare pokémon was often flying around with Ash's instructions to train. Meowth was getting stronger and stronger. He unlocked his egg move Assist after helping out Frogadier against a particularly tough Graveler that they found in the area. It was done out of desperation and Ash wasn't too happy about interrupting battles saying it's not fair for the wild ones but he didn't mention it as Meowth meant well.

However it did increase Meowth's training. Meowth now often had all kinds of training for attack, defense, special attacks, defense, special defense and speed. Heck, thanks to all of that his stamina and endurance popped up like no tomorrow. Assist was becoming one of Meowth's favorite moves as it wasn't just a gamble but also interesting to feel the use of thunderbolt.

He never knew that it was starting to make him capable of producing electricity himself.

Nor did he know he was starting to learn Water Pulse by getting it with assist.

Now we look at Frogadier. Frogadier is extremely fast and is very capable. Ash made sure to train him on his legs and arms so he can keep his extremely acrobatic body even after evolution. Frogadier had started to unlock his move Toxic Spikes after Ash mentioned that he can learn the move Spikes - which is basically creating spikes out of energy. Sometimes Ash was wondering when Frogadier will evolve because he is much more ahead than the others. Not that he complained.

Frogadier just received harder training compared to the rest if he was ahead.

If they weren't training, they were battling against trainers that live in Pewter City. New trainers were things Ash liked to avoid but even he couldn't help but battle the pretty common Onix around the area with his team.

It was good experience nonetheless as now none of his pokémon are afraid of giant, stone snakes.

Ash himself had to admit it was a scary sight. A particular Onix was gigantic.

Something Ash also appreciated was Flint lending him a hand with some moves. Yes, Flint. Ash learnt of the man's identity when he was sick of his acting and ripped off the beard. The man quickly explained why and Ash couldn't help but be angry. After telling him his own experience, his own emotions that he felt when his father wasn't around when they needed him the man nearly caved in crying.

It did boost his confidence to tell Brock as soon as possible and he promised Ash to do so after his gym battle. It was so that he could take some of Brock's time at the Pokémon Center.

Oh, was it mentioned before that Ash became a celebrity in Pokémon Centers? Not only does he have Junior Professor rights and thus better rooms which are private, he also has connections to most Nurse Joys. These connections were extremely useful when it came for getting a room. Not that there are many Junior Professor children, but he was served pretty fast and was allowed in the kitchen to make food for his pokémon.

His cooking was gradually getting better according to Pikachu and the new ones were still salivating all day. It made Ash think he was feeding a Snorlax there… Not that he could say so himself. His mother pounded manners into him and if she didn't, he'd probably eat like one.

All this happened in two long, long weeks. Ash was honestly prepared for the battle as he wanted to get on with it and earn the badge before restoring the fossil. Why did he have to earn the badge? The good ol' scientists at the museum mentioned that he needed a badge to prove his worth.

 _They did try taking his fossil but a very angry pair of pokémon stopped them immediately. You do not touch Ash Ketchum's property without him allowing you to._

Of course, Ash was going to bring Brock with him to get that museum checked out because that was just near theft. Well, Brock will listen after he beats him.

* * *

"So are you ready guys?" Ash asked his Meowth and Pikachu, which both replied with a " _Yes!_ "

"Let's get this show on the road," Ash grinned as he opened the doors, walking in the darkness without any fear. A small scaring tactic but after meeting an angry Golem in a cave, this was just a minor thing. His own red eyes began to glow as he spotted Brock sitting on a giant rock, relaxing.

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I am here to challenge Brock Slate to a Gym Battle." His voice was calm, prepared and definitely showed he got more experience than others around his age.

Brock jumped down as the lights turned on. Now that Ash could see him, he saw someone very similar to Flint… and what in the reverse world are those clones of his in the background?

"I see. Welcome to Pewter City's gym. As you have said, my name is Brock Slate. According to a contact of mine you have stronger pokémon compared to other starting trainers and so I will battle accordingly," Brock spoke with confidence. While he was confident, he had to hide a small disappointed look at the Meowth and Pikachu. _Those_ were supposed to be his opponent?

"Well then, may the best win," Ash spoke as he shook hands with Brock before walking to his corner. He confirmed the area and spotted it did have good advantages to hide behind with smaller pokémon but the rocks are most likely also easy to break with his Onix.

"Forrest! Get over here and judge!" Brock called out to his younger brother who rushed in and showed he was just a little older than Ash. This boy did have the air of arrogance around him as if he expected the challengers to lose… He probably hadn't judged Gary's battle.

"Well then.. I'll start with my pokémon. Come out, Graveler." Brock called out his own Graveler which evolved from Geodude a while ago. Graveler growled and pounded the ground whereas Ash just shook his head.

"Pikachu, go wild," Ash smiled and pretty much taunted Brock who had to frown.

Brock couldn't help but open his mouth. "Are you sure? Pikachu has a large disadvantage, do not get arrogant." He did mean well but Ash couldn't help but laugh.

"That Pikachu is my strongest pokémon. You'll see. Pikachu, you can battle on your own this one right? I'll mention it if you miss something," Ash proposed the idea to Pikachu who merely did a thumb up and a ' _I'll make you proud!_ ' before he turned to Graveler.

"Well then.. Graveler, Rollout!" The rock pokémon curled up and began to roll towards the Pikachu. Pikachu however, wasn't impressed… It battled a few Graveler already and this one is very slow compared to others. Running to it so it won't get more speed, Pikachu charged an iron tail.

"Well.. Batter up," Ash cheered with a grin on his face. Brock tilted his head as he didn't see the move but Forrest did and he had to frown. Is that a Tail Whip?

Pikachu jumped upwards at the last moment and did a backflip, promptly slamming Graveler into the air. Now that he was in the air Pikachu took immediate action with his thunder. While ground types are pretty much immune to electric type attacks, in the air they will still receive damage.

Then, in a rush with Quick Attack - so fast that Brock couldn't even see it - his Graveler was slammed away with a Brick Break and Graveler was knocked out.

Brock opened his eyes wide, revealing a pair of black eyes. "Woah.. you weren't kidding. That Pikachu moved so fast I couldn't even order resistance.." Brock frowned as he wasn't happy with that. He was too confident and immediately squashed it, now taking Ash serious.

"You still have two more pokémon to battle. What will you do?" Brock offered as Pikachu ran back to Ash. They promised to give others a chance. Meowth will get the second gym.

"Come out, Hermit!" Out of the ball came Ash's recently nicknamed Hermit. Frogadier took a liking to it and was promptly named as such.

"Well well. I'm impressed, you captured the Frogadier in Viridian Forest. It looks very strong," Brock nodded in acknowledgement before pulling out a pokéball.

"Come out, Onix!" Brock called out his most trusted partner. One that has been with him for 5 long years. It definitely showed as the Onix was larger than the common ones but the horn on the head was blunt meaning they didn't focus on head based attacks. Tail instead then.

"Hermit, smokescreen. You know what to do next," Ash started and a white smokescreen soon filled the area. Onix, the very cautious pokémon began using harden to prevent any damage but it strangely didn't get hurt.

What they didn't know is that Onix's field is now filled with Spikes and Toxic Spikes. They'll love their gift.

"This is annoying… Onix, blow it away with Tail Whip!" Onix's giant tail soon moved and blew away the smoke, but because it moved the spikes and toxic spikes took effect. Onix didn't notice it yet though and neither did Brock as he couldn't even see them properly.

"Now Hermit! Double Water Pulse!" A shadow jumped up from behind a rock and went into the air, holding two orbs of water and threw it at the Onix which received them straight against the head. It roared in pain but soon moved in Brock's orders.

"Don't let that go! Grab it with your tail and use bind!" Onix did so but forget something. Frogadier is very acrobatic… and the moment it tried while Frogadier was in the air, it used the tail as a stepping stone and ran up the body of Onix. Quickly, thanks to Quick Attack, it got in front of its face.

Ash didn't even say anything as Frogadier grabbed the foam around his neck and promptly slammed it in Onix's eyes… Critical hit. Jumping off of the now struggling Onix, Frogadier held a Water Pulse and fired it at the head again.

Brock had to admit that it was solid strategy. However, he isn't a gym leader for nothing, "Dig!"

Now Onix could not see underground but it had its senses. A giant hole was soon seen in the field and Ash simply smiled, "Giant bubbles," he ordered and soon enough extremely large bubbles were around the field, floating around in mid air. They were much tougher than the basic ones and Frogadier could bounce off of them in a single go when needed, but this was a trap for Onix who is too large and thus will get hurt by it.

Brock couldn't help but nod. Ash deserved the badge by doing this alone, but his pokémon showed great progress.

"I forfeit Onix. Please clear the field," He was calm and accepted it. Forrest was shocked before he held the flag to Ash, signaling that Ash won against the second pokémon.

"Great job Hermit! Your first gym battle is well earned. We'll have to use others for the next few though… I dislike how it's Water, Electric and then Grass." Ash grunted with Frogadier who felt the same. Though he had Protean, it would take a while before he had good advantages against those types.

Hermit walked back to Ash and crouched down to watch. Ash simply smiled as he looked at Brock.

"What will be your next pokémon Brock?" Ash asked calmly. He wasn't going to push buttons.

Brock chuckled happily as he grabbed a third pokéball, "You're going to battle against one of my more recent but still very tough pokémon. Come out, Pupitar!"

Ash couldn't help but let his jaw drop. Pupitar? If that thing evolved in his match it would definitely result in his loss… The planning began.

Great, this will be a tough round. He'll use Falcon like promised though, the pokémon wanted to battle the first leader before the fourth.

"Well.. Meet my second pokémon. He is also far tougher physically than the others, you probably have seen him before," Ash threw his red cherish ball into the air, revealing his royal Fletchinder.

Fletchinder let out a cry as its body gave off waves of fire and heat. It was definitely impressive in Brock's eyes… Its feather were also very well taken care of. Actually, now that he thought about it, all of Ash's pokémon were extremely well taken care of. A glint came in his eyes as he spotted a fellow capable 'breeder'.

"I won't say anything about its typing. Fire and Flying are very daring to use here, especially with such a weakness… Be prepared, Ash." Brock warned Ash who nodded and was thinking of strategies.

"Falcon! Burn the area and melt the rocks!" The Fletchinder let out a cry before a large stream of flames came out of its beak. Brock instantly moved as well, "Pupitar! Protect!" A green shield was around the Hard Shell Pokémon but it didn't protect the area. The entire surroundings, which made everyone sweat, became a field of molten rocks. It was definitely going to damage those on the ground.

"Now, steel wing!" The giant Fletchinder instantly went after the Pupitar, which wait for Brock's instructions.

Brock thought of his options before smirking, "Rock Slide," Rock Slide in this case was useful. Soon enough, large rocks of earth came around the Pupitar and were sent to the Fletchinder.

But Brock didn't expect something. Fletchinder was extremely well trained in aerial maneuvers, showing that Ash's training had benefits. Though this lessened its focus and did less damage on the Pupitar after it was slammed from its spot. Pupitar let out a cry of pain from being in such hot rocks.

Brock flinched and spoke his next order, "Sandstorm! Cool down the entire ground!"

A sandstorm came out of the 'mouth' of the Hard Shell Pokémon but Ash wasn't going to wait.

"Tailwind, agility. Spinning Quick Attack, follow it up with steel wing. You'll probably get tired from it, but it'll work extremely well now," Ash's voice was soft and could only be heard by his pokémon, Falcon and Forrest. The ground soon became clear but then Brock spotted no Fletchinder… and realized he forgot about it.

Well, he wasn't Gym Leader material anyway but it was still a mistake.

Soon enough a metallic twister was seen from above and it slammed straight into the Pupitar, which was sent flying into the wall of the gym. Cracks were seen on the shell showing how powerful that move was and Ash cheered as his Fletchinder returned to him.

"Pu-pupitar!" Brock cried out in worry before rushing up to the Hard Shell Pokémon. Ash looked at it for a while before letting out a smile and returning everyone but Meowth and Pikachu.

When he wanted to walk ahead though, seven children and Forrest blocked his way.

"You bully! / You don't deserve this badge! / Meanie! / Hurt Pupitar / Get out! / Leave him alone!"

Several cries were heard by Ash but his red eyes moved to them and began to glow. His voice became a tone lower than usual, "Children shouldn't jump into the field like that. Respect your brother, he is a trainer himself. I was merely going to heal his Pupitar," with that said and the scared children he walked towards Brock.

Brock had to frown at his words but knew that going sweet about it wasn't going to help… His little brothers and sisters were always jumping in when he lost as they watched and it was disturbing many trainers who would definitely mention it to the league. It had to stop.

With his thoughts finished he spotted Ash next to him as he held out a hand. Soon enough, purple ripples were around Pupitar as the cracks began to heal up perfectly and Pupitar opened his eyes wide.

"Welcome back, Pupitar. Any wounds?" Ash asked to be sure.

Pupitar, if he could, would shake his head, " _None whatsoever. Thank you very much, trainer,_ " and Ash grinned slightly whispering "You're welcome" which only Brock heard.

Brock and Pupitar's eyes widened again as they looked at Ash before Brock smiled widely. If there was going to be someone who passed this gym, it had to be someone like that. Caring yet fierce.

"Alright then… You have deserved this badge, Ash." Brock held out his badge and Ash grinned happily, "Thanks Brock! Also, come with me to the Pokémon Center. Someone is waiting for you there… and no, not Nurse Joy but someone else." His words made Brock curious. Who could wait for him there? Ash probably wouldn't mention it.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going," Brock spoke as he stood up and returned Pupitar.

"Ya gotta admire dat personality, Ash," Meowth spoke from his shoulder and Brock stared at the Meowth. "Wat? Never seen a pokémon talk?" Meowth asked as if it's normal but Ash and Pikachu facepalmed. Obviously he hasn't, otherwise he wouldn't be staring.

"Let's just go," Ash mumbled in annoyance as he walked on. Meowth had to open his mouth.

* * *

When they arrived and handed their pokéballs over to Nurse Joy, Brock and Ash were waiting for the person to arrive… and when the door opened, Brock couldn't help but turn stone cold.

In came his father. The father that left him behind. The father he looked for for a while now.

Ash smiled and pat his shoulder before he left them alone to talk with Joy, letting them handle their family troubles.

LINEBREAK

"So how did it go, Brock?" Ash asked as he was sitting on a sofa with a cup of tea in his hands. Pikachu and Meowth were having tea of their own.

To be honest, to anyone other than those three, it would be like watching three clones drink. They took sips at the same time, sighed in peace at the same time and put it back at the same time.

"It… went fairly well. My father never abandoned the gym and paid for a lot of things I did not know of. He also told me to follow my dream as a Breeder and Pokémon Doctor," Brock explained the situation as a Chansey handed over a cup of tea to him and Brock sat down on the opposite sofa of Ash's.

Ash nodded after hearing that. "Glad to hear that everything is okay, Brock. I met Flint when I arrived in Pewter City and bought a fossil off of him. Well, a rock with a fossil in it."

Brock couldn't help but laugh at the irony. He often got told about that man but never checked… If he did, he would've found his father.

"I see, I see! Let's recover your fossil next then. Any idea which pokémon?" He asked in curiosity. Fossil pokémon were extremely rare and Flint never checked. Well, he let it be a surprise for all of htem.

"No, no idea. It might be a fossil pokémon or another which came from the old ages. If I recall right, Dratini and such already lived back then. I hope it's something good for my team, if not… How about you take care of it then?" Ash smiled slightly as Brock blinked.

"But we'll see. I want to check if it clicks first, then we'll decide what to do. I also want to mention that scientists there are very tempted to just steal a fossil," Ash had a frown on his face which told Brock enough, "They said that they will take care of the fossil but I highly doubt that."

Brock grunted as he stood up in slight anger. That wasn't how the museum in Pewter City is supposed to act and he'll show them who the leader of this city is before he laves.

"Let's go then. Also, Ash?" Brock turned his head to Ash who also stood up after finishing his tea. Seeing that, Brock himself also quickly gulped it down.

Ash turned to Brock in curiosity. "Yes Brock?"

"May I travel with you on your journey? My father and Forrest will take care of the gym now and I want to go around and gain experience. Going with you will likely help out a lot."

Ash thought about the benefits. Brock is definitely a breeder if his pokémon were anything to go by and possibly a doctor as well. He nodded soon after, "Sure. We can travel together and share duties such as cooking. We'll exchange ideas and recipes later."

Brock nodded with a smile and both left to the Pewter Museum.

* * *

"B-brock, sir! What are you doing here?" One of the more shady, definitely greedy, scientist asked as he looked up at the intimidating figure of Brock Slate. Brock was definitely angry and if the fact his Pupitar was out of his pokéball was anything to go by, he heard of what they were doing lately.

Ash chuckled mirthfully, "That's the one that tried to do it," He pointed out the scientist who just spoke and Brock promptly grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to a Jenny that waited outside. Both fired and thrown in jail as such acts are not allowed.

Now the other scientists were staring at Ash and he glared straight back at them. "You do _not_ take fossils of trainers for _your_ simple _research_. You do what you are _asked_ to do. Restoring fossils is part of your job now do your thing," He practically ordered and revealed his Junior Professor status on his Pokédex. He wasn't going to let some scientists think he's a stupid child that got lucky.

He was angry. Justified too.

Brock soon came back with a satisfied smile and Pupitar was hopping next to him. When Brock came in he spotted all the scientists working and Ash was walking with another to the restoration room. This was underground and highly secured in case it's a hostile pokémon.

When they got down they could see Leaf already waiting and Ash greeted her. They did promise to get here around this time so Leaf was understandably early. She was really excited about seeing a fossil restoration after all.

Brock chuckled at seeing them talk excitedly about a fossil pokémon. He wondered what fossil this is because this isn't the standard Kanto fossil pokémon. Their database didn't recognize it at least.

 _Well, that's because it was only revived in private labs thus not very known outside of professors._

Now what pokémon may come from it?

The fossil was now being levitated in the middle of the room and a beam was fired on it. They could only watch in awe as the DNA couldn't be recognized but still restored - perfectly one might add.

The further it came, the colder the room. They could see white legs which was definitely something that they had never seen before on a fossil pokémon and Ash stood there firmly with his eyes staring at the pokémon that was being restored.

It's said that after a restoration, two things can happen. One is that it has the mind of a newborn, accepting one as a parent. The other is the fact it will be downright hostile because of its ancient instincts.

He wondered which one he might receive and silently prayed to Ho-oh for some luck here.

 _He never knew how lucky he was until it finished._

The process took painfully long. Six long hours were spent staring at what was being made with that fossil and after those long six hours the entire room the fossil was in became extremely cold.

Ash recognized it and so did Leaf. _Amaura._ A pokémon that was recently discovered in Kalos and there are currently only five of them which also includes the evolved form, _Aurorus_.

Ash instantly opened the door, ignoring the cries of the scientist and Brock letting out a gasp. Leaf remained calm - she knew Ash.

Silently, he walked through the cold field without shivering. His body, filled with aura, couldn't feel this cold at all and he walked straight to the _shiny_ Amaura. A white body. Crystal eyes and a crystal gem in the side of its body. Its lower belly was the same color as its eyes and it had a rainbow-like appendage on its head.

It was plain beautiful.

"Hello. Can you understand me, Amaura?" Ash asked the fossil pokémon, whom's eyes opened slowly. It was like waking up from a deep, deep sleep.

Amaura then looked around before spotting Ash and looked at him curiously. " _Yes, I am awake. Who may you be, human? Your kind wasn't often seen in my area._ "

Ash hated to say it but he let out a soft sigh as he heard what Amaura told him. "Your area… How do I say it," He hesitated.

The Amaura narrowed its eyes before looking around.

"I do not know the history of your time. It has been long, far too long, since your kind existed. Right now there - with you now included - are six of you and that is also including your evolution," Ash started and the Amaura focused on Ash now. It looked down in sadness.

" _I see… What will happen to me? Humans of old captured my kind and used our bodies to keep their food frozen until a time needed,"_ It spoke in a sad voice, as if accepting its fate.

Ash shook his head and moved his hand to pet the Amaura, her, head. It surprised the Amaura but it looked at Ash.

"While you may no longer recognize the world, I will offer you something. I am what is considered a Pokémon Trainer," Amaura nodded in slight interest.

Ash took a deep breath to calm down himself. "We train pokémon and have a journey throughout the land. We battle many others and explore all kinds of areas as well as capture many pokémon that become our friends. Right now, I have four pokémon with me that reside in these balls." He held out a red cherish ball, used for his team. This one was is empty of course.

"What I would like to ask you is, if you will join me?" Ash asked whilst offering the chance. Amaura had to think about this.

Her family. Her friends. Everyone was gone.

This human offered her friendship and a new family, as well as battles.

"Oh by the way… I'm not sure what you eat, but we now no longer hunt unless you live in wild areas. We humans provide for you, take care of you and make sure you're healthy. That is our job as trainers… Well, outside of making you stronger," Ash chuckled as he explained her possible future.

Amaura blinked before looking up. She had hope in her eyes, rekindled after seeing the kindness of the human. It only lasted for a second before the Amaura smiled. " _I would like to join you. My kind, the Tundra Pokémon are herbivores so you do not need to worry about hunting. I'd love to hear more of this new world though, but I assume I have to touch this ball?_ "

Ash simply nodded and the Amaura tapped the ball with her forehead and was promptly captured. Ash smiled widely as he felt the connection wasn't lost on him. Ho-oh truly answered his prayers there, or was this his gift for being blessed?

Was that why he felt that fossil? Or was it the Aura?

When he walked out of the room the scientists stared at Ash as if he's some kind of alien and Brock and Leaf were grinning like fools. "Congrats, Ash. You have now captured the sixth of its kind, the Tundra Pokémon Amaura." Leaf cheered and high-fived Ash.

Brock simply stared. He bonded with a fossil pokémon, something not even he dared to do, without any hesitation. No fear, only certainty. Suddenly he felt like he will profit from joining Ash on his journey. Ash will no doubt give him so many experiences that no normal trainer will give him! He felt like he was blessed himself.

"Sir, may we study your pokémon?" A scientist tried asking but knew it was futile. Ash simply turned his head as his eyes turned red, as if daring to go against him.

"I am a Junior Professor. I am certified by Samuel Oak himself and I have my university papers. Are you saying that I cannot study an Amaura, one whom I can speak to myself?" He spoke in a cold voice that not many could hear. Well, Leaf heard it a few times and that was when he was speaking to some idiot who tried to take Pikachu from him when kids of their age visited Oak for a school excursion.

"N-no sir! I apologize!" He bowed and then Ash spoke up again before he could escape.

He wasn't going to let this out. "Delete all information of the Amaura you resurrected as well as videographic information. I do not even want to hear about someone knowing of this Amaura except the professors of each region, am I understood? Failure to comply and I will contact the Champion, Lance, and tell him to come here and do it himself."

Brock stared in awe as the scientists began running like chickens without a head, screaming and deleting all information. They deleted the data for a second time before doing a complete wipe to be sure.

Leaf giggled softly, "You didn't have to be so cold, Ash." She poked fun at him but Ash turned to her with a wry smile.

"Would they listen to me if I didn't?"

Leaf shook her head with a clear 'No'.

"So ya got a fifth pokémon now Boss! Nice job with the Amaura, we'll take good care of her and explain wat da world is like now," Meowth poked up and smiled widely. Pikachu, the leader of his team, nodded his head in agreement. _"I will make sure everyone gets along and knows of Amaura's troubles. While she will definitely miss her friends, Ash, we will be her new ones. Her new family."_

Ash cracked a grin as he looked at them before nodding. He walked upstairs - now ready to go to Mt. Moon as if today was just a simple walk in the park.

Leaf, somewhere in her head, had to shake her head at Ash. He could act so nonchalant about everything sometimes… Well, Ho-oh pretty much told him he might meet legendary pokémon and some of them can be hostile. That definitely means this attitude is something he needs to go on with his journey.

Brock was dumbfounded at the sight but soon ran after Ash. Leaf followed up with a fast walking pace like she learnt to do around Ash and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll leave to Mt. Moon a little later. If you spot a moon stone, please take one with you and mail it to me through the item transfer option. I need one for Nina to evolve," She asked with a cheerful voice. Ash nodded with a smile before turning around and giving her a big, big hug.

"I'll miss you, Leaf. I can't hug Gary like this though, no thank you." He quickly added before she could open her mouth and ask why he didn't do this with Gary.

Leaf then giggled and returned the hug with just as much force. "I know Ashy, I know. I'll see you sometime in the future. Let's make a few appointments with Gary later on so we can get together and tell each other of our journey.'

"Got it! Let's go Brock, or do you need to prepare something else?" Ash turned to Brock who blinked a few times as if still in shock at what he had seen. Ash was a ladies man. Looks and the fact that all girls he spotted seem to be attracted to him.. _Maybe the journey will offer more than simply experience with pokémon. I might need to teach Ash the way of adults… and the talk. Oh that's going to be fun… Oh so fun._

Pupitar, as if sensing what Brock was thinking rushed to Ash and picked him up before blowing steam from its back and blasting off as if protecting him from the evil that is known as perverts.

Brock shouted and ran after him. He already wore his traveling bag anyway.

 **"WAIT FOR MEEEEE! AAAASH! PUPITAAAAR!"**

* * *

"You guys seriously went ahead so far…" Brock's gloomy voice could be heard and Ash laughed nervously. Pupitar let out its equivalent of a sigh.

Amaura, who was now outside of her pokéball looked around with curiosity in its eyes.

" _This land is very warm. I'm glad that I'm one of the older kind of my species because this might've been damaging to a normal Amaura,_ " she began and Ash instantly wrote that down. It surprised Amaura before she understood why. Humans did not know much about her kind yet.

Smiling somewhat, she went up to Ash and nuzzled against his side. " _Take your time, Ash. You don't have to know everything about my kind yet. Let's get to know each other first."_

Ash had to blink at the maturity… For some reason he was starting to be glad this wasn't a newborn. This Amaura showed perfect ice type control as well. Something he could only admire.

"Well.. I'll tell you who I am perfectly. I am Ash Ketchum, born in Pallet Town. My starter pokémon is Pikachu here and I studied under Professor Oak who is the professor of this region. A professor is someone who can hand out official starter pokémon as well as manage all studies within the region." He introduced himself perfectly to Amaura and Meowth silently translated everything that was said to Brock so he wasn't feeling like a third wheel. Meowth and Brock seemed to really get along with each other since Meowth was sitting on Brock's backpack explaining a few things whilst translating every now and then.

" _I see. I am known as an Amaura. My kind did not give each other names, so you may have the honor of naming me,"_ Amaura smiled as she looked up at her new trainer. He was definitely kind so she knew she could trust him. _"I am mostly focused on ice-type moves but if what you said is true, you will help me out with more than that. My defenses are my strongest point as I was known as the toughest Amaura of my tribe, so to say. Other than that… I don't think I have a lot to say. I was born in Mt. Everstone, a mountain that inhabits unevolved pokémon."_

Ash now looked at Amaura in slight awe. "You know… Everstones are rare these days: The mountain no longer exists. So you will evolve after some time if it is your wish to do so."

" _Hmm.. Evolution sounds attractive, yes. I will consider it when I am close to evolution as you say."_

Ash nodded and then looked curious, "How does your kind evolve? Any special requirements?"

 _"It is good that you ask, Ash. My kind evolves underneath the moonlight. When we do, it is known that a beautiful aurora light can be seen."_

Ash was suddenly very happy he had Amaura… That would be a very awesome sight for his journey. Call him girly, but he always wanted to see such a thing.

A nearby trainer could only stare in awe at the Amaura walking next to Ash.

"Ah, by the way.. We call your kind, who have a different color these days, shiny pokémon. Pokéballs and such have a special light effect giving you a 'shiny' entrance, thus the name. I do not know how that part works though… The Cherish Ball you stay in is something I made myself and it allows you to see the outside world."

Amaura nodded, happy to at least have something to do inside such a pokéball.

"Just to tell you in advance however, I am unable to hear you when you're inside of the ball. To do something like that is what Riley, an Aura Guardian, called an Aura Bond. I am still far from capable of doing such a thing. Sorry," He admitted in slight embarrassment.

Amaura shook her head and looked at him with gratitude. _"You restored me and will now take care of me. I can deal with such minor things, Ash."_

They have been walking for a while now and looking around, he noticed that it was already pretty dark.

"Pikachu, can you hold up a light flash attack?" He asked his starter who just shrugged as if it's easy.

Moving his tail, the tail began to spark and soon enough an orb of light was above it acting like a flashlight around them. They could travel in the dark without any issues.

" _Wow. I haven't seen such a move yet… To think that we developed these things during the years, I'm very interested in what I will learn from you Ash!"_

Amaura's cheerful voice made Pikachu and Ash laugh slightly. "Alright. By the way, Amaura… How about this for a nickname?" He turned to her and crouched down.

"Glacia. Since you are female and lived in cold environments, Glacia sounds fitting. It can also be Aurora or something."

Amaura thought about it before trying out the name she liked. " _Glacia… Yes, that will do. From now on you can call me Glacia, though I will respond to my species name as well."_

Ash nodded and they soon arrived at the entrance of a cave. It was pretty silent inside and Brock spotted a Zubat. Thinking about it, he liked the idea of owning one and quickly threw a pokéball. Funny enough, it was instantly captured.

It may be on the weaker side now but Crobat were known to be extremely powerful pokémon when trained right.

" _Is that what humans do to capture pokémon these days?"_ Glacia asked her trainer who shook his head in amusement.

"Pokémon who leave on roads and such are very well aware of the fact they can be captured. Some even stay close on purpose. While Brock just captured one by throwing a ball, some require a challenge and want trainers to prove themselves before they either join their team or leave." Ash explained calmly to the Amaura who nodded in return.

Spotting a large amount of Zubat surrounding some prone form, the Amaura took action and took a deep breath.

Out of her mouth came what can be considered the Blizzard of the Blizzards… That was some ice type power. The Zubat that surrounded the man instantly fainted and were blown away whereas the man shivered from the cold but was still gratified from the actions of being saved.

"Oh thank you trainers! Thank you so much for saving me! Oh such strong eyes, please help me!"

* * *

Ignoring the man's rant about the Moon Stone which _honestly_ pissed off Ash due to the fact of being so fake and his begging for help they went into the cave. Ash could spot many pokémon that were thirsty, as if the area was hotter than normal. Wait, aren't those lights? Those kind heat up the area as well… Those aren't allowed.

Brock frowned and called out Pupitar to start breaking them. He also knew of this rule.

Ash spotted a few thirsty pokémon so he went through his bag and pulled out several flasks filled with water. He then grabbed a few spare bowls that were made for extra pokémon and put water in it.

Smiling at the wild pokémon, they noticed the water and rushed there to drink. Several Sandshrew, Paras and even a wild Parasect were drinking from the bowls and happily thanked the kind boy for it.

Brock and the man they helped - What was his name again? Seymour? - smiled at the sight of a boy helping out wild pokémon without any other reason than to help. Amaura saw it and smiled in appreciation. She definitely won't regret joining him.

Meowth however, picked up a scent. "Jessie and James are here, Ash," He warned his trainer who nodded.

"Glacia, please return. Team Rocket are humans who steal pokémon so I don't want them to find out about you just yet, not until we're stronger." Glacia simply nodded in understanding. She knew of evil, both human and pokémon.

Returning the shiny Amaura to her cherish ball, Ash grabbed another and called out his Frogadier. "Hermit, come with us. Team Rocket is messing up this place's environment. Let's show them their place for doing such a thing."

Frogadier nodded determinedly. He will deal with that bunch of scum… Well, other than James. James pretty much listens until he can leave without someone stabbing him in the back.

Rushing alongside his trainer was Frogadier. "Brock, take care of the lights! Meowth, stay with them to translate pokémon in case there's another group of jerks!"

Meowth waved and stayed with Brock now. Pikachu and Frogadier were strong enough for his former partners.

* * *

"TEAM ROCKET!" The roar echoed throughout the cave and the two humans couldn't help but shiver… What the heck did they do? Oh right, they're trying to steal the moon stone for the boss.

"Water Pulse!" Jessie, who's face now definitely had scars and was covered with so much make-up it was going to be ugly in the future, promptly got an orb of water in it and then a very angry Pikachu poked up.

"Thunder!"

James, knowing of this, jumped aside and left Jessie to her care. Heck, she'd use him as her shield because he spotted her trying to reach out for him.

The thunder attack promptly hit the wet Jessie… and she was blasted off. James seeing that looked in horrified intrigue at how she was blasted off… and still lived. Actually, how did they survive all the time? Damn, they must have been blessed by Arceus.

"Hello, Ash." James greeted the young trainer who nodded in return. "Jessie's plan was to take the moon stone, which is why we were running after a Clefairy carrying a piece. She's really greedy…" he mumbled in distaste before perking up.

"By the way, I got Growlie again! Come out, Growlie." James revealed his Growlithe with barely hidden pride and the fire type instantly looked hostile to the new enemies… Which weren't.

"Calm down buddy. These are the ones that told me to get you," James calmed down the Puppy Pokémon which now nodded and looked grateful.

"You should hurry up and follow Jessie, James. If she comes to and you're not there, you're the one she'll go after." Ash hurried up James before something bad could happen. James flinched at that very true statement and rushed off.

"I will warn you ahead, she won't give up easily… So be careful!" With that, he was no longer in sight.

Ash sighed with his pokémon and turned around to get back to Seymour. A Clefairy that was previously followed perked up and walked up to him.

" _Wait.. Umm, sir?_ " A hesitant, female voice could be heard and Ash turned around to the Clefairy. He nodded slowly. "Yes?"

" _C-could you help me get to the others please? I heard what the man just said and I'm afraid they'll steal it during our ritual for Cresselia's blessing._ "

"Oh! So that's what the ritual is for, you ask Cresselia for her blessings and thus 'enchant' the stone?" Ash asked curiously and the Clefairy's eyes widened… before grinning widely. This human understood her! Good!

Hopping over to him she swiftly jumped onto his other shoulder.

" _Please bring your friends, I'll explain to the leader why you're here._ "

Ash nodded and walked towards his friends.

* * *

"Ash! There you are! Is that a Clefairy?" Brock asked in surprise and Seymour almost seemed to have troubles with his pants, mentioning they're too tight for some reason…

 _Ash nearly asked Pikachu send a thunder at his direction… He didn't know why._

"Hello Brock, Seymour." He nodded to the two before turning to Clefairy, "This Clefairy was being hunted by Jessie and James. She told me to get you guys to the ritual for the moon stone as protection."

The former Gym Leader agreed to that suggestion and his Pupitar soon followed up. They were ready.

Seymour seemed to be in his own world. "Oh! The stone that came from the moon!"

Ash and Clefairy just got a very large sweat drop… This man was probably insane, but Ash didn't sense any 'filth' in his heart. He meant well.

He wasn't going to explain why the ritual is there, nor was he going to translate anything. He made that clear to Meowth as well. This was private information for the professor to protect this area.

Not some kinda madman who wants to go to the moon and date a Clefable.

* * *

Two boys watched in amazement as Clefairy put the last piece of the moon stone into the orb. As if it fit perfectly, the large stone began to glow and the Clefairy began dancing around it.

" _We pray to you, our maiden of the moon,_

 _Please grant us our wish, our wish to evolve._

 _We pray to you once more, our dear maiden,_

 _Please bless this stone with the powers of the moon,_

 _Bless this stone for those who seek evolution,_

 _For those who search for their strongest,_

 _Those who seek to become stronger to protect,_

 _Please, grant us our wish, bless this stone with the moon."_

Hearing the prayer, which was nearly begging in Ash's ears he could see the faint figure of Cresselia who was looking down at him for a while before firing some kind of blast downwards to the large stone. It glowed fiercely and they had to close their eyes, a gentle voice reaching their minds.

" **Clefairy, your wish has been granted. We have blessed this stone in reply to your prayers. Please grant those who wish to evolve access and defeat those who seek it for greed.** "

However, Ash heard another voice afterwards.

" **Young Chosen. With Ho-oh's blessing, I grant you a piece of the moon stone. I have seen your memories, your promises. With this, please fulfill it.** "

Ash smiled softly at the thoughtfulness of that legendary. No wonder Clefairy were praying to her.

Silently putting his hands together, he formed a prayer himself. A prayer to wish Cresselia good health. A prayer which was accepted and the moon glowed healthily.

That night, Team Rocket did not come. That night they met a Cresselia who stayed hidden and blasted them off. She was not going to let the stone the Chosen One had seen be blasted into pieces like she had seen in one of the possible futures with her future sight.

* * *

"That was an amazing experience, don't you think Brock? They even let you have a few small pieces in case you capture some pokémon that require them," Ash spoke cheerfully to his older traveling partner.

Meowth and Pikachu were inside of their pokéball, simply resting. They, after viewing that sight, felt tired. Unusually so, but nobody said anything. Amaura saw what happened within the cherish ball and was amazed at what happened. This never happened in the past because there were no Clefairy and so she loved it, already liking the new world. Frogadier just shrugged it off but admired it nonetheless.

Brock's pokémon, Pupitar, seemed to be very silent and returned to his pokéball afterwards. Perhaps Cresselia told them something? Perhaps Cresselia had done something? Ash did not know but it wasn't negative as they are simply tired.

"Our next destination is Cerulean City for the second badge. Let's rest before that though," Ash pointed out how late it was and Brock smiled.

"Of course.. I'll cook tonight so take it easy," He promised and started to prepare everything.

Grabbing all his cherish balls and unleashing his team, he smiled at them. Two were asleep, two were wide awake and one was looking up at the moon.

"Alright everyone. Let's have Brock's meal and practice a little afterwards. We can't slack down even after what happened today!"

The pokémon cheered silently as to not wake up wild pokémon. Glacia was happy with this. She was satisfied completely and spotted her trainer transport a piece of the moon stone through his Xtransceiver, towards what she could hear a very happy female.

Like that, they spent their night. The next morning, they will arrive at Cerulean City.

 _Ash will be disappointed._

* * *

 **What's up everyone! Last chapter for now. It's time to work this week so I may not have all the time in the world. I did my best to at least get up to Cerulean. I'd love to hear your comments on things I need to improve or have done wrong!**

 **Four chapters though, phew. What a weekend. Please don't shoot me if there's a small mistake because this one was finished when I turned sleepy.**

 **Now, a Shiny Amaura. Who would've guessed up to this point? I did mention a unique pokémon and you guys have to admit: Fanfics reveal only Kanto fossil pokémon or a Tyrantrum every now and then. What happened to Amaura? What happened to that amazing, stunning Aurorus?**

 **Ash got his second shiny! Is it too much to have that? Nah. Ash will get another for his sixth. Or is he? That's up to you guys. I won't tell which pokémon though! Is he lucky? Well he did receive Ho-oh's blessing. Am I going over the top? Maybe? Team Rocket at this point didn't matter much other than show that James was progressing to the 'good side' so to say.**

 **Next chapter will be the Cerulean City activities and going towards Bill's Lighthouse! Ash meets Bill again after such a long time and gets to see one of the strongest pokémon in the world. A pokémon not many would like to mess with, but it remains even better hidden than Mew. You guys know who, right?**

 **Also, he won't get starters. As you all have seen, the three have the chosen starters and their problems solved! No Damian to kick, no pokémon village. This speeds up the traveling to a certain point. Only Charizard, but that is much later. I am going for a unique team after all!**

 **Now I'm going to bed.** **Ja ne, guys!**


	5. Road of the Adventures

**Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Road of the Master! This one will involve a lot of traveling, some battles and progress for Meowth as well as doing things differently.**

 **Hope you like some changes. I've meant to take things a little differently. Misty, in this story, is a little spoiled girl that needs to have her way and has anger issues. Why else does she leave her sisters behind like that after they were all abandoned by their parents? That is confirmed to be true, by the way.**

 **Also, someone commented on Brock's last name being Harrison… I'll tell you this: Slate's gonna be it for this story as he'll take his mother's surname. He and his father do not get along well yet.**

 **Brock will also stop being a pervert from now on. Ash is a blessing, Brock's new Pokémon are beyond a blessing. What will they be? What will they be capable of? Who knows. Each will be useful in a way for Brock though. Now, which sixth Pokémon should be Ash's? I want you guys to make a guess.**

 **Don't forget: Who will travel with him? Do not tell me to get Serena. Serena will be a surprise for in Kalos… 'cause hey, they're the same age by that time which'll be like.. 18? Serena will have started her journey long ago. She'll appear earlier in the story though. Secret, secret. Ideas everywhere.**

* * *

After arriving in Cerulean City Ash and Brock went straight to the pokémon center. Nothing's better than a good, hot shower and resting after such a tiresome hike. While many get lost on their way to Cerulean City, Ash used his pokédex's mapping technology to get by.

Brock had complimented him on at least being capable of doing such a thing, mentioning that many rookies simply follow signs on the road.

Ash couldn't help but let out a small sigh at hearing that. It was such a sad, but true fact. Rookie trainers get lost the moment there are no signs.

Ignoring the abilities of rookies they discussed a while ago, which still bothered him, Ash spotted Gary at the Nurse's desk. Probably recovering his pokémon. When he turned around he spotted Ash in some casual clothing. He just wore a large black shirt, blue jeans and some sneakers. It just meant Ash was staying for a little bit to train.

"Hey Ashy-boy, what's up?" Gary spoke up first as he held out his hand, which Ash shook.

He couldn't help but retort to that. "Doing pretty well Gare-bear. Want to see my fifth pokémon? She's a real treat to the eye," seeing his rival here, Ash couldn't help but want to show off just a little.

"Really? That's pretty cool. Let's hire a training room and you can introduce me. When you mention 'treat to the eye', I know what you mean," Gary smirked at his best friend who chuckled nervously. Placing his hand on his belt, he pulled out a Cherish Ball and called out his Pikachu who yawned and stretched.

" _Hey Gary,_ " Pikachu said and waved lazily. Gary just chuckled and greeted him back before the boys and minutes later Brock as well went to Nurse Joy.

By some miraculous blessing, Brock wasn't acting like a flirt. Ash had seen him the first time doing so with a pretty girl… He had to force himself to stay instead of run away in shame of knowing such a horrible, _horrible_ flirt. For Arceus's sake, he was 12 and knew better flirting than that.

"Hello Brock. I see you joined Ash on his journey. I'm sure you can learn a lot from him," Gary held out his hand to the older teenager, who happily shook it. Gary was someone Brock can respect. Seeing Ash knowing Gary so well, he couldn't help but notice that they also carried similar pokéballs.

"Sorry to sound so curious, but where did you get those pokéballs? They look very special compared to the usual ones," Brock commented with a sharp, interested eye.

"Oh? You picked that up?" Ash smiled at Brock's sharp eye. That was a definite quality some trainers needed to get far. Whether attained naturally or through training, you need a sharp eye to get past the 'rookie league' and enter 'professional league'.

Gary began chuckling heartily. It's moments like this that he can enjoy traveling as much as he does now. He did wonder, how would traveling go by car? Such luxury would definitely limit his training and meeting wild pokémon for a possible addition to his team.

"We made these balls, Brock," Gary decided to answer for Ash who in return simply shrugged. It wasn't as if it's classified, but what they do is held in between the three trainers of Pallet, Kurt and Professor Oak.

Brock nodded, impressed. "That must be quite hard… Seeing them, it's like watching pokéballs made of crystals with each a specific theme. I suppose you take 'Green', Ash taked 'Red' and the other, Leaf, has 'Blue'?"

Ash smiled widely now. He wouldn't regret having Brock with him in the slightest, he can learn from him and in return, he'll teach Brock some of the things he found out. After all, Brock has a pure heart… ignoring the flirting.

Gary nodded and smiled mysteriously, "Why we use these is a secret, but let me tell you that pokémon find them more comfortable than normal pokéballs. There are indeed luxury balls, said to make the experience better, but these are meant for travel and battle," He explained in a roundabout way. He definitely wouldn't tell Brock that the pokémon in the balls could see a 'screen' through their trainers' accessories.

"I see. I won't bother you guys, seeing how you made them to be special I won't pry," Brock smiled slightly. The two boys knew their trade very well. A trainer needs to keep their secrets close, only fools show their true ways of being a trainer.

Both boys smirked and showed their pokédex, receiving a free training room as rental. When they got there, there were no cameras and it was large enough to be considered a training facility worthy of the best. Brock blinked a few times at how two young boys got these rights but remembering Ash and the Amaura incident, he won't say much. Junior Professors had their benefits and this was perhaps one of them.

When they got there, Gary decided to mention something as well.

"I got a new pokémon as well. You won't guess what it is," Gary smiled somewhat amusingly. His fifth pokémon surprised even himself but he liked it.

Ash nodded and grabbed Glacia's pokéball. The Amaura who could see what was happening understood that this human boy in front of her trainer was his rival so she wouldn't mind showing off a bit.

Gary did the same and the pokémon inside of it was brimming with energy.

The two trainers threw their pokéball in the air. A result? The room either became too cold or too hot. Both pokémon that had yet to fully appear changed the room's temperature and Ash couldn't help but _stare_.

"You captured.. A Royal Growlithe? You seriously went there? Damn," Ash blinked a few times. He had to sit down for that. He thought his Falcon was pretty much one of the very rare, but it seems Gary got some good luck there.

Gary though, didn't mention anything. Heck, he was frozen to the spot staring at that pokémon of Ash.

"Ash," Gary's voice made Ash turn to him. Seeing Gary turn mechanically to him Ash was nearly afraid his friend had broken his neck at one point.

"Yes, Gary?" Ash asked in a very uncomfortable manner. This was pretty weird.

Gary was instantly in front of him, holding his shoulders and Ash couldn't help but nearly jump. That was really fast for Gary. "Where. Did. You. Get. An. AMAURA? A _SHINY_ ONE AT THAT?!"

Ash was being shaken around and Glacia didn't like that. Showing a faint emotion of distaste, she used a small Icy Wind attack to separate the two trainers.

"Ah, thank you Glacia," Ash smiled at his shiny Amaura, who smiled in return and gave a nod to her trainer.

Gary couldn't help but be surprised. Heck, even his Growlithe, who he instantly began to teach like a madman because such a Pokémon is rare beyond belief, knew that this pokémon in front of him was extremely rare and old. Older than Growlithe can imagine.

" _A fine Fire-type pokémon. I believe it's species is called Growlithe. They usually do not get this large so I suspect the rare Royal gene being inside of it. Honestly, Arceus was messing with everyone by giving pokémon that specific gene. It's a near cheat, but not invincible,"_ Glacia muttered in _slight_ jealousy as she walked back to her trainer who out of habit began stroking her head. Glacia just closed her eyes and enjoyed her trainer's touch.

Hey, don't blame Ash. His pokémon liked being pet, and so did many wild pokémon.

Gary still couldn't believe such a rare pokémon, a shiny one and a fossil, was so docile. Heck, he'd seen an enraged Aerodactyl pop up once thanks to some foolish trainer thinking he could capture one. Oak had hurt himself that day and it was only thanks to Dragonite that it stopped going after the humans with the intention of eating them. Ash and his luck still surprised him.

"Well Ash… I must say, you still surprise me. I thought I got a special one here, but it seems you got a rare one as well. Seeing your luck, I'm not surprised," Gary started slowly and Brock couldn't help it any longer.

He just began laughing loudly.

 _Two children. Two freakin' children held pokémon that even the elite, the gym leaders, did not even dream of owning._

He couldn't even get mad.

* * *

Ash and Gary trained for several long hours until it was midnight. That was when they quit and Brock agreed with the idea.

The pokémon were tired, but not to the level of abuse. They were pushed to their limits and _beyond_. It speaks of the skill of the trainers to know when to quit.

Brock was surprised when Ash and Gary held out special cans of food. Even Glacia, his Amaura, received a can. This can contained special pokéchow with the right nutrients, vitamins to increase their growth in each their training route and a very good flavor.

The result was seeing ten pokémon rush to their trainer and start eating like mad. It wasn't a big meal, but it left them completely satisfied. They weren't getting a lot because they would rest soon and that decision made Brock take notes.

Making the pokémon take in vitamins specially meant for the development of their muscles and special abilities after such a tough training session, it gives the vitamins time to get absorbed in their bodies. A pokémon is known for its evolutionary abilities and so it wouldn't surprise Brock if there was a small leap in progress after this.

The way bones get stronger is also interesting, but he wouldn't get his medical book out for that. He knew of the theory that when something breaks and heals, the bone gets denser. At least, it was that way for pokémon. Several studies say it doesn't work that way for humans.

He also knew that with weights, bones get pressured and become stronger like muscles.

But he wouldn't go that far. The boys might know this or not, but they trained their pokémon in perfect ways.

Power, Defense, Speed and Endurance. They each give their pokémon specific ways of train to use their abilities in the best way possible. Taking Pikachu as an example, Ash makes Pikachu focus on his speed, electric capabilities and endurance. He minimally trains Pikachu in defense because he knows that Pikachu's species is not meant to take hits. To combat that, he makes sure Pikachu knows all kinds of ways to move his body, to understand his body perfectly.

It's said that a fighting type master knows which muscles to move to dodge a move minimally.

Ash is going for that as a goal and slowly but surely reaching it with every training session. Pikachu won't be able to do it in months, or perhaps a year, but he'll definitely reach it with Ash's training. It seems that Ash has done this before with other pokémon as well, so it wasn't a surprise that Pikachu was already capable of dodging extremely well.

Electric attacks were another thing. Ash commented that he couldn't do the storm training here, so he used a different method. He grasped a pair of thunderstones that he had in his bag and made Pikachu absorb the electricity from within the stones.

A normal Pikachu evolves upon contact. Ash uses special conductive metals that make sure the stones give off electricity and charge it towards Pikachu.

Brock wouldn't be surprised the day Pikachu is getting larger cheek pouches and in an orange mixed with golden colour at that. That way of training would just half-evolve the Pikachu instead of fully evolving, but he wouldn't know how. He'd still not be surprised if it happened though. That Pikachu is already a beast.

What will Pikachu do after that? Become the second coming of Raikou and use _blue_ lightning?

Brock had yet to know of Zekrom. If he knew, he would in the future call Pikachu a complete hack and a transformed legendary because his electric attacks will match that of a Zekrom. Pikachu may even be capable of Zekrom's Teravolt ability.

Stopping the thoughts he had about their training Brock went to bed. The two boys were obviously still young and can still make some minor mistakes but Brock will be there to help out Ash grow.

He was attracted to Ash, and not in the romantic way but in the way of wanting to follow him and see him reach his goal. See him attain what he desires.

Ash has such an effect on people when he shows passion during his battles and training.

* * *

The next morning was just a blur. Breakfast, training and going out to battle some wild pokémon for experience was how it went.

Gary left before they went to train and mentioned that the three sisters were notoriously annoying to get motivated battles. Ash wouldn't have it any other way. He liked all kinds of challenges. _He'd be surprised though._

Gary failed to mention that the sisters gave him a standard 2 badge battle. That battle was so easy, his Wartortle simply used Aura Sphere and finished off their Seaking. It seemed that they did not listen to Oak's advice. _But will it be like that with Ash too?_

Ah well, Ash will still get his badge no matter what. It seems the other three of pallet town weren't here so the battle of Ash will not be like how it was in another dimension.

 _There will be no redhead screaming and shouting their own names when calling out their Pokémon as if they're the reason the Pokémon battles or even exists._

So Ash and Brock trained together. Brock learnt from Ash that he should capture other pokémon to become better in the ways of a breeder and doctor. The reasoning behind it was simple:

" _Specialists are annoying. Because they specialize in a single type, they do not know what to do in case of emergencies with other types. In your case, if it was a wounded rock type where its arm broke off you would start sticking it together with special types of clay which attach them back. In another, where a fighting type breaks a bone, you wouldn't know what to do._ "

Brock admitted that was true and searched for a fourth pokémon. He had Onix, Pupitar and Graveler with him. Each were strong to travel with, but looking for a pokémon that attracts him other than rock types was hard.

Well, until he met a special one.

Brock spotted a small pokémon that many would have missed. Many trainers ignored them because they think they're flowers in the fields but he spotted that pokémon with a keen eye.

A Roselia. Rare, but nonetheless, a pokémon that made him interested.

So when Brock returned with such a pokémon it was understandable that Ash blinked a few times. Weren't these guys supposed to be extremely rare? How come they all met such rare pokémon outside of the regions?

Brock shrugged it off and mentioned that there are lots of pokémon hidden amongst them. Flower fields can contain Floette as far as he knew and Ash had to admit that was true. A pokémon's natural camouflage made them rare to find at times. It was something Ash liked though.

Trainers who start out will never find such a pokémon. Those who do, however, receive stronger than usual pokémon. It's because they're not caught the moment they're spotted that the pokémon train in natural environments and sometimes wild pokémon grow faster because their instinct is to survive.

Survival instinct can awaken many things, just like how it had awoken Ash's aura.

Trainers cannot replicate such a thing unless they're inhumane with their training and whoever is found doing such a thing gets thrown into jail.

So when Ash spoke up to Roselia and asked it why it was so close to the fields, because Ash assumed that they'd hide further, it was a surprising answer he received. Heck, even Brock had to blush at the reasoning of his luck.

" _My new trainer has this special air around him, as if he's what I seek. I am not a pokémon who loves combat like others of my kind, I enjoy helping others and healing. That is why I came closer and eventually got caught by Brock. I could feel his kind heart._ "

Brock did explain to Roselia that he will train her nonetheless. A pokémon needs to train so they can protect themselves, help other pokémon or heal others much faster than before. With reasoning like that, Roselia jumped into the training like a machine to get stronger.

Even Ash often complimented Brock for his team. Pupitar was growing very well after they started traveling, Onix began to get larger because it wasn't held back by battling weak starting trainers and Graveler was getting much needed experience with his new body.

And all that, in a few days. Well, it seems they were being held back in a gym where Brock had nearly no time to train them. When he did though, like now, they were getting the right attention and so their bodies and experiences began to grow to the level that they should be.

That was all done until they met up at 3 P.M. in front of the Cerulean Gym.

Brock kept Roselia out of her pokéball and told Ash that he liked to have Roselia get used to her surroundings in human environments. Ash obviously agreed to this as wild pokémon needed to get used to being surrounded by humans. It also helps with some rare cases of stage fright if they're being watched.

Roselia still felt like she was a piece of rare meat in front of a pack of hungry Mightyena though.

Ash didn't blame her when she said that. He told Brock who pet her head reassuringly and told her he'd never hand her over to others and that she'll always stay with him.

"Anyway, let's get in Brock. We've been messing around long enough," Ash finally gave in to his impatience. He had limits to his patience despite his abilities. He is still 12 after all.

Brock simply chuckled, "Alright, alright. Calm down Ash. Let's go, Roselia," Brock called out to his new team member who nodded and walked gracefully next to her trainer.

Ash looked at Pikachu who nodded and had sparks coming from his body. He wanted this gym's first pokémon. The second will be Meowth's.

 _Pikachu will battle, unlike in another dimension. This Pikachu liked to battle no matter his opponent, something that Dragonite forced into his mind._

 _Well.. Pikachu needed that to keep sane after sparring with the dragon._

* * *

"Like, welcome to the Cerulean Gym, young man," A flirty voice was heard and Ash turned around to see three girls around the age of sixteen.

The middle one had blonde hair and looked quite beautiful. She wore a pink bikini and it fit her well. Even a boy as young as Ash who had yet to reach his true teenage years could appreciate her beauty and he showed a charming smile to the blonde girl.

The girl on her left had pink hair and seemed to be shyer than the other two. It also revealed in her choice of clothing, which was in a more modest color of dark blue. The bikini had some frills that hid more of her skin and she smiled with a faint blush.

The girl on Daisy's right had blue hair. She had a large, black one piece that still showed her well earned figure. The seemed to be older than the girl on Daisy's left but younger than the blonde girl.

"We are the sensational sisters," the blonde haired girl introduced the group with a small smile to Ash. Ash nodded slightly as his Pikachu was looking at the girls with innocent eyes. "I am Daisy," she started and motioned to her sisters, "The one on my left is the youngest of us three, Lily. The one on my right is the second oldest, Violet. We three are currently maintaining the gym."

Ash nodded and showed the beginning of a grin. "I had hoped so. Would you mind having a battle with me for the badge?"

Lily frowned slightly. Boys will be boys. "Why would you want to battle for the badge? Simply take it," she scoffed at the idea of being forced to battle.

Nobody noticed Daisy's smile becoming slightly strained. She, even though their parents abandoned them, did her best to maintain the gym. The other two sisters had the idea to just give them away and sadly because of their lack of time to battle, she had to agree.

Violet seemed to disagree. "We have no show today, Lily. We can battle this young man. He seems to be different from the others… I'd say, three badges?" She asked curiously. To be honest, Brock was holding back laughter…

Well, as much as he could next to drooling at the sight of three beautiful girls. His hormones were getting wild there.

Luckily, Roselia used sweet scent to distract her trainer or else he would've groveled in front of them for a picture or signs. She was very good at subtly using attacks to distract others. Nobody noticed it. _Roselia is a blessing in disguise._

Daisy's smile became normal after that, "Indeed, I suppose you are like that… Then we will hold a two on two battle involving pokémon that are intended for three badges. Is that acceptable?" She asked with a gentle smile.

Ash had to think. Take the easy route and mention he only had one badge, or go the hard way and struggle.

Gary said they were hard to motivate for a battle, but it seemed that when they had time, they were acting like proper trainers. Maybe it's just because Gary met them at the wrong time.

"I'd like that," Ash eventually said. "I will tell you two which pokémon I'll use as well. Not out of arrogance but to make the battle worth it. I don't want an easy battle after all," He taunted slightly which did reveal a side of Daisy that she normally kept hidden behind her cheerfulness.

"Well then, bring it boy." She grinned a little. Perhaps she enjoyed battling more than her sisters.

"I will use Pikachu here," He mentioned to his faithful starter who now waved at them and Ash grabbed a cherish ball and called out Meowth. "And Meowth."

"Hello dere ladies. I hope you don't mind," Meowth spoke with a teasing glint in his eyes. His trainer hated it when he did so, but he couldn't help and play around. It's not like he'll get stolen or anything and with Ash's training he knew how to protect himself despite Ash saying it's not enough.

Well, Ash will always say it isn't. He often speaks wise words such as "There is always someone stronger." While Meowth agrees, he knows he can handle a few minor trainers around this area now unlike in the past.

The three sisters were shocked but soon walked up to Meowth and poked him a few times before smiling excitedly. That was a new thing and it made the three girls excited. Who wouldn't at seeing a pokémon talk?

"Can you like, help us speak with our pokémon to know their likes and all after our match? We'd really, really appreciate that," Violet said with a more cheerful tone than before. Heck, even Lily seemed interested in the battle to see what this trainer can do now.

He had a talking pokémon. What else did he have? While he mentioned the pokémon he used, they will definitely not be normal.

"I'd be happy to help ya," Meowth spoke up for Ash who simply shrugged. That's a small request and he was getting a good battle. He wouldn't object in the slightest.

The three sisters nodded before looking at Ash. "We'll use Seadra and Gyarados. I hope you're prepared," Daisy spoke for the sisters who nodded. Seadra and Gyarados were perfect battlers for those with three badges.

Now Ash was sold. That was a promise to an amazing battle. Looking at Meowth and Pikachu, he spoke up to decide who faced who.

"Meowth. I know you're newer to my team but I'd like you to face Gyarados. Facing Onix in various training simulations has broken your fear of the size of a pokémon, but defeating one will still be hard for you. It's going to be great experience for you," Ash spoke to his Cat Pokémon who thought about it before nodding in agreement. He would have hated his trainer if he didn't know that Ash meant well for him.

Pikachu grinned though. He was also getting a harder challenge and when Ash turned to him, he nodded. "You know why. Seadra are fast and accurate. They're able to get out of the water and use minor levitation abilities when trained right. It'll be a nice experience for you to battle faster opponents."

The sisters who were seeing the boy discuss who battles who were interested in how the boy told his pokémon who battled who in advance. Usually, a trainer keeps his pokémon hidden. That was the case in most trainers battling gym leaders at least.

This boy, however, did not do the usual. He revealed his pokémon and pretty much told them flat out it's a good experience for them.

In a way, they couldn't refute. It would definitely be a good experience for his pokémon but… Wasn't it a stupid idea to tell them all of this?

"Hey, boy," Daisy spoke up, finally giving in to her curiosity.

"My name is Ash, but yes, Daisy?" Ash's maroon eyes turned to the eldest of the Waterflower family.

Daisy nodded at hearing his name before turning to his pokémon. "Why are you actually telling us all of this? It's just that trainers usually keep the pokémon they use a secret. You said that it's because we're a type of gym and for a challenge, but even so," she asked curiously.

Ash nodded as if he expected it. "To be honest, I think of gym battles as training. Each gym battle will be done with pokémon that are either best or worst, or sometimes normal. I could use Hermit, my Frogadier to fight in the water or use Falcon, my Fletchinder, to battle aerial. I've decided that because the battle will most likely be on small fields on top of the water that it's smarter to use small pokémon and... "

Ash gave her a big, cheesy grin. "I like a challenge! I'm aiming to become the best, so in order to reach it, I need to challenge myself!" Honestly, his boyish charm there made a critical hit on their hearts and the girls couldn't stop a blush forming on their cheeks.

"I'm impressed," Violet commented with a softer smile. Heck, Lily who usually hates battling, admired Ash now. It was a personality that many trainers lacked, such determination and motivation to become stronger.

Daisy now began chuckling softly. "If you defeat us, give us your number. We can talk about water types in the future, or even contest appeal. In return, give us an update on your journey at times. If you're near water areas, I'd love to hear if you can capture a pokémon for us."

Ash blinked a few times at the request. He was 12, so he didn't know it was 'special' that he had the number of three celebrities. Heck, he didn't even know they were.

The girls also forgot about mentioning it. It seems they were more impressed with him as a trainer.

To be honest, if Misty was there, she'd say she was dreaming at seeing her older sisters act like that. They were acting mature, like proper gym leaders.

Something they usually never do.

* * *

" **Let the battle between Ash of Pallet Town against Daisy of Cerulean City begin!** " Lily called out as the judge. Violet remained on the other side to confirm damage or fainted status. She was also the one that will judge underwater battles.

Ash nodded and called out for Pikachu to go against his opponent. Daisy replied in kind, revealing a surprisingly well trained Seadra.

It seems the sisters knew how to take care of their pokémon. It seems they also held love for the gym, despite their actions.

Wait, now that Ash secretly thought about it… Weren't they making performances to pay for the bills?

Shaking his head out of those unnecessary thoughts for battle, he noticed that Seadra went into the offense.

The water type fired what appeared to be an Octozooka at Pikachu with scary accuracy. Naturally, Pikachu was much faster as he was used to a boosted Fletchinder and jumped to another island.

The attack that followed seemed to flow like water, as if it's all a well practiced movie battle. Pikachu fired an Electro Ball whilst dodging and it went after the Seadra who jumped out of the water to dodge. Seadra in return tried to fire more octozookas at Pikachu who began to use Iron Tail and batted them away until the final one was fired and Pikachu batted it straight back to Seadra who received it in the face.

Ash wasn't giving commands and neither was Daisy. They simply stood there, leaving it to their pokémon's battle instincts and knowledge until they were needed. It seems that the Cerulean Gym focused more on pokémon acting on their own which is also precious experience not many trainers see or act upon.

Heck, only Misty calls out commands out of the sisters. Lily and Violet used to do the same until they saw what Daisy wanted trainers to see. Pokémon themselves are in combat and see things much better than the trainer unless it's in the field. Trainers are there to call them out for mistakes or problems with the field, but a Pokémon is perfectly capable of battling on their own.

Cerulean Gym's main challenge is to make trainers see that. Sadly, it rarely happens so they often use weaker pokémon to let them practice.

And that's only when they have time to actually battle. Tight schedules.

Pikachu let out a small cry as he was sent flying by Seadra's hydro pump but the yellow mouse wouldn't give up. It fired a large thunderbolt straight into the Seadra who tried to jump up but wasn't fast enough.

The result spoke for itself. It was a nice view of a Seadra's skeleton in a cartoonish manner. The water type endured though and instantly used dragonbreath. Pikachu got hit as he was still in midair and was sent flying to one of the islands.

"That Seadra is tough," Ash grunted as he figured out the water type. It was pretty much ready for its evolution to a Kingdra, something that Ash will help out with for the gym.

Pikachu, however, was used to damage. While it hurt his small body, he was perfectly capable of going on after receiving a hydro pump and dragonbreath.

Seadra was also strong. Much stronger than Brock's pokémon he fought at the gym. It showed that it was a real challenge even for 3 badge trainers.

Pikachu grinned fiercely and jumped straight back into combat with the Seadra who accepted the challenge of the electric type. Heck, Seadra even admired the Pikachu since he fought many before and they couldn't even take a hit!

The exchange of thunderbolts and water attacks were quite amazing. Dodging with grace, attacking with fierceness and showing nimbleness at certain small movements to avoid fatal damage. Daisy was definitely impressed with the young boy.

"Seadra! Finish it with dragon pulse!" She called out finally, seeing that this battle can be ended. Seadra instantly agreed and began charging up purple draconic energy… but he had also made Pikachu that much fiercer.

Ash was calm. "Thunder, full power. No need to hold back on such a strong opponent," He spoke calmly and smiled at his starter who then charged up massive amounts of electricity.

Heck, it was a shock it didn't turn into a Spark attack yet. Pikachu was practically surrounded by electricity like some kind of armor.

The two pokémon let their respective attacks out. A giant purple beam against a massive thunder attack. The two attacks collided as they fought for supremacy.

Both Lily and Violet stared at the yellow mouse who fought back against their experienced Seadra. It seems that that cute little mouse from before was a hidden monster… that showed when the dragon pulse began to lose.

If Seadra were to be a Kingdra, Pikachu would have lost no doubt against that dragon pulse. Luckily, Seadra was still unable to use natural dragon energy which a Kingdra can and so Dragon Pulse is slightly weaker. The Thunder attack eventually went through the attack like a knife and attacked the Seadra had on and caused the water to erupt upwards from the power behind the move.

Water fell down like a shower, reaching even Brock who was seated on the bench for viewers. Roselia simply enjoyed it with a small smile and enjoyed Brock's small irritation at finding out he needed to take a bath after this battle.

Ash simply grinned at the challenge. Finally, some tougher battles! He definitely didn't regret doing this, even if he may lose against Gyarados with Meowth. Even that is an 'if'.

When the water stopped falling down they were treated to the sight of a knocked out Seadra. Daisy returned the pokémon with a happy smile.

"Good job Seadra, we'll see if we can find a Dragon Scale in the future for you," She whispered with a kind voice and Ash perked up.

"After this battle, I'll help you evolve Seadra. Since the dragon scale is reusable after evolution, you can use Dragonite's scale," He offered with a nod. He respected that water type.

Daisy blinked a few times. Dragon scales were extremely expensive because of that reason and kept very rare, even on the black market. This boy was full of surprises. Nonetheless, she showed a happy smile. "I'll be very happy if you do. Seadra has been wanting to evolve for a while now and wants to become my personal pokémon after doing so. Misty, our younger sister, often forgets about him in battles as she's one of the leaders too. Sadly, that makes him unable to battle often unless he becomes a personal pokémon. Once he evolves into a Kingdra, he can join my team. It was what I promised when he was a Horsea," Daisy explained and Ash blinked in surprise. There's another gym leader? She didn't even use that Seadra? That Seadra could have won against Pikachu if it had used more field tactics such as smokescreen because he can hide in the water and fire from there. Ash could have lost if the natural wits of Seadra wasn't so battle active.

Heck, Daisy must've known but she had to keep the battle for three badge trainers. Field usage is for the first and seventh gym. Not that Ash knew that.

"Ah, since you probably don't know," Daisy started with a blink as she saw a pretty well doing Pikachu jumping on Ash's shoulder again, "Personal Pokémon become part of the leader's team. If the trainer comes back for a rematch, the leader can decide to use his personal team for a real test. Currently I have a Poliwrath and a Lapras," She explained kindly. Ash knew, but Daisy didn't know that he knew so Ash just nodded with a smile at the information.

The eldest of the family was very kind to explain those things. He wouldn't be rude to her by saying he 'obviously knows' such things like many others at his age would bluntly say.

Actually, he wanted to learn more about water types at this gym. His Frogadier could use some good water type training here and the field was perfect for it. He'll mention it after the battle.

"Now we've wasted enough time. Come on out and play, Gyarados!" Daisy called out the large sea snake which roared after splashing in the water. The Gyarados was well taken care of, seeing the shine on his scales.

"Let's see how your Meowth will handle our Gyarados," Lily pointed out a smile. She was curious about what that talking Meowth could do, it was obviously interesting.

Meowth appeared next to Ash, revealing he had been hiding using Feint Attack. A simple yet great way to hide casually. "Let's see how I'd fare against da giant sea snake. He'll definitely be tough but I won't give da win so easily, girl," Meowth pointed out with a grin.

Lily giggled at the Meowth for replying like that. It was certainly a unique pokémon.

Violet on the other hand was impressed at the Meowth's feint attack. He had been practicing well because she thought Ash returned him a while ago.

" **Let the battle resume! Gyarados versus Meowth!** " Violet called out instantly and Meowth was on the islands just like Pikachu.

 _He wasn't afraid. He wouldn't be afraid. Ash took him in and spent many hours training him after the capture to catch up to his fellow pokémon. He'll definitely win, for his new trainer's sake. To show that the hours Ash spent training him weren't for nothing!_

The glint in Meowth's eyes showed promise. Promise to win. Even Ash was surprised at seeing Meowth become so determined to win but he smiled when he could think of the reasoning.

It was true that he mentioned to Meowth that he was still the weakest, but that was why he spent a lot of time with him. Hermit was already tough from the battles he had to endure but Meowth had to train all the way up to his supposed to be level and then even more to join his fellow pokémon.

Ash never told him to do it. Meowth did it on his own. Ash never said Meowth was weak. Meowth showed he wasn't weak in training. He became strong and fast at that. The pokémon that previously helped Team Rocket changed after being caught and the change was a very good occurrence.

"Let's show them your progress, Meowth. I'm sure you'll be capable of winning! Never get intimidated, retreat and you'll age, give up and you'll lose your way. That's what you think, isn't it?" Ash motivated his normal type Pokémon who began grinning and Meowth's fur began to stand on edge. He was prepared.

Heck, even a few small electricity bolts were coming from his body. It seems Pikachu had an amazing influence on Meowth.

"Let's do dis, Ash!" Meowth growled as he jumped onto the platforms to look around the field with a sharp eye. He needed to know the distance in case Gyarados became a close combat battle.

Daisy threw her pokéball into the water and soon enough, a large water type pokémon burst from it. Its red eyes looked intimidating and the aura of the beast was definitely there.

This Gyarados was well trained and not simply caught. Ash could feel it, he could nearly taste it in the air. This Gyarados was strong, very strong. Much stronger than the few wild ones he fought, or the one he returned after it raged on Misty.

"Heh…" Ash's grin turned wide, full of acceptance. This was a challenge.

"Meowth, let's do this. Start off with Screech!" Meowth nodded and let out a sharp cry. It echoed throughout the room and the windows just shivered. Gyarados groaned in pain, definitely losing focus to protect its body.

"Now, before he moves! Fake out!" Meowth nodded and clapped his paws together. Almost like an invisible hit, Gyarados was hit on the head with a supposed to be weak attack.

Well, **Technician** and being a **normal type** attack boosted that.

Gyarados roared in pain and soon glared at Meowth. Meowth however, wasn't stupid. Feint Attack was used right away and he began to run around the field. The only sign that Meowth was running around was the ripple that some of the platforms gave off.

"I'm impressed, Meowth isn't bad… But not enough! Gyarados, flamethrower!" Daisy called out to the Gyarados who instantly moved back and flames were being charged between its massive jaws. Soon enough, a giant flamethrower was sent to the area Meowth was with Feint Attack.

Ash flinched. That Gyarados was a real powerhouse and knew other moves. He'd hoped it wasn't the case, but he won't give up.

"Meowth, Iron Tail on the platform to give yourself a boost!" Meowth's tail began to get an iron glow as it slammed on the platform, making the small and nimble body of Meowth jump up into the air. The flamethrower barely missed but Meowth could _feel_ his fur nearly being burnt.

"Yow that's hot!" Meowth cried out before using assist. His head turned back as an image of Amaura got behind him. Meowth then let out a large breath, using Icy Wind to freeze the water around Gyarados in order to limit his moves.

Meowth soon landed on the ice and jumped away onto a platform. The small islands around him had already been burnt by the flamethrower but the icy breath helped. He did hope for Pikachu's thunder though…

"Eat dis!" Meowth cried out and a large amount of electricity surrounded Meowth's body. Soon enough a thunderbolt was fired at the Gyarados who let out a roar of pain. That was definitely effective… Meowth's thunderbolt was still not as strong as it should be, but it was in its infant stages.

Meowth did hurt himself a little out of inexperience, but this was nothing compared to spars with Pikachu.

"Now dis!" Meowth used Feint Attack and this time slammed straight into the Gyarados's cheek with a strong roar of his own.

Daisy blinked a few times. She didn't recognize the image of the Pokémon behind Meowth, but she wouldn't get distracted now. "Gyarados! Thunderbolt!"

Ash had a small moment to think of his actions but his eyes began to glow in determination.

"Meowth, thunderbolt as well. Take his own and guide it into the water! Stay on the platforms!"

Gyarados' strong thunderbolt went towards Meowth who used his own. He obviously received heavy damage but still guided the thunderbolt with his own, powering it up even further… into the water.

Now, let's take a small recap.

Gyarados is a monster in power. His thunderbolt is extremely strong. He hit Meowth, who took it head on without any fear due to his trust in Ash. Meowth's thunderbolt acted like a guide to the attack that hit him, leading it into the water.

How did science answer this? Water conducts electricity unless it's pure water. This pool is not pure.

Now let's take a look at Gyarados…

" **GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!** " It roared in obvious pain, feeling his own attack combined with Meowth's through the water. The attack soon stopped and Gyarados fell down into the water with swirls in its eyes.

"Haa… That be a tuff one. I ain't fighting one of dese until I'm stronger, Ash…" Meowth groaned out before falling unconscious himself. Ash returned Meowth as soon as possible.

"You did well, Meowth," Ash complimented his Cat Pokémon and turned to Daisy who was shocked. A little Meowth won against their Gyarados.. Now that's a shocker. Even if that Meowth lost conscious soon after, it still won the battle due to Gyarados going down first.

Daisy soon caught herself and returned Gyarados with complicated feelings. That was definitely a mistake on her part, she completely forgot about the water conducting electricity and Gyarados felt the result of her mistake.

Ash noticed the expression and walked alongside the pool to Daisy's area. "Don't worry," Ash began as Daisy turned to him.

"Gyarados was extremely tough. Meowth wouldn't win in normal circumstances but it's only because this water isn't pure that it conducted electricity. It couldn't be avoided," Ash said with a kind voice. Daisy let out a disappointed sigh but at least she didn't blame herself anymore.

"Congratulations, Ash. You've definitely impressed us. We brought the A-game for third badge battlers and you still won thanks to using some small tactics. Pikachu was a powerhouse, plain and simple but he was very capable of working on his own. Meowth needed orders compared to others but that may be because he's new to it all. He won thanks to using Gyarados' attack and that deserves some respect because taking that damage isn't something to sneeze at."

Ash showed another boyish grin at the compliment.

"Thanks! To be honest, this will be my second badge," Ash admitted sheepishly.

Daisy looked at Ash with surprise… Heck, the room turned silent after hearing that except Brock who was restraining himself from bursting out laughing. It made being wet worth it. Their faces were _hilarious_ to see.

"B-but… You said you were a three badge trainer…!" Daisy stuttered out as Ash simply smiled at her.

He shook his head, still amused. "I've only been a trainer for a week or three. My Pokémon are strong and Pikachu is my starter. I've had him for a few years already," Ash explained as he looked at Meowth's pokéball. "Meowth is one of the weaker Pokémon. He completely forgot his instincts to battle but is gaining them slowly. That's why I wanted him to battle Gyarados and show him that he's grown compared to how he was."

Ash was definitely proud though. Proud of his new family. They're all growing very well and he wouldn't be surprised if Frogadier would evolve in the near future. He'd definitely be a gift from Arceus against Sabrina.

"T-then we were thinking wrong? You act as an intermediate trainer despite starting three weeks ago! That is abnormal y'know!" Daisy was near hysteric. That boy was a scary trainer, but it was more out of shock that he was here so fast.

Ash nodded eagerly. "Yup! I've even got Junior Professor as my status. To be honest, you girls should have used the same team against Gary Oak. He's like me. We, together with a girl from Pallet Town, studied under Professor Oak so we know a lot more than other starting trainers.

It's a shame not many rookies study Pokémon training methods though. Most just dream of getting a starter, battle and capture Pokémon and think they make it to the league. To be honest, only those with talent will make it if they do it that way," Ash said offhandedly.

"I see…" Daisy composed herself as she heard Ash talk. Soon it turned into an admiring gaze. "You're strong, Ash. I'm glad we've had this battle. To be honest, we rarely have time for it because we need money to pay for the gym's costs," Daisy explained and Ash frowned slightly. Turning to Brock, he had a questioning gaze.

Brock, taking the hint, jumped from the spectator seats with Roselia and walked up to Ash. Lily and Violet were doing the same.

Brock spoke up first. "It's weird that you have to do so. The league is supposed to pay for the gym and its functions." Ash looked at Brock before turning to Daisy who had a sad look.

"Well… Our parents abandoned us here when we were young. They're still alive, obviously, and receive the payment for the gym telling the league that we battle for them," Daisy explained the situation and now both Brock and Ash began to growl slightly.

Brock because it's another issue with parents. His own actually paid for everything and had the guts to eventually come back, but theirs? That's just horrible!

Ash was angry at the league. Lance should have seen this coming from miles away so he held up his Xtransceiver.

"Give me a moment, I'll make a small call and take care of some things. Please heal Meowth, Brock. Pikachu is still fine," Ash turned to Brock and handed him Meowth's pokéball. Brock nodded and asked Daisy to tag along to the Pokémon Center.

Violet and Lily stayed behind with Ash. They were curious about who he was going to call, but that was when they saw a familiar redhead appear on the Xtransceiver screen. That was _definitely_ Lance!

" _Ash? What's the matter, you rarely even call people through the Xtransceiver. You're even calling my work number,_ " Lance was obviously curious about what made Ash call him here.

How did they meet? Well, that's a funny thing…

 **[ Flashback : Start ]**

Ash, Gary and Leaf were giggling happily as they were riding on top of a red Gyarados. This Gyarados is the leader of the Gyarados that lived in the ocean and it was taking them around to sightsee.

To be honest, any normal child would've screamed in terror at the speed they were going but Gyarados made sure they were comfortable.

The children met this Gyarados as a Magikarp. It was golden, compared to the usual orange and they helped him train. It started with tackle and flail but soon he learned how to use bounce.

That was when they battled various water type Pokémon. Tentacool, Staryu, other Magikarp. Anything to gain experience so that he may evolve and learn proper moves. It started out as a young Gyarados but despite of that, it was feared amongst others due to being much stronger than others. That is because it trained hard as a Magikarp and gained proper strength before the evolution which in normal situations is through survival or rage. Those are rushed compared to this Gyarados' evolution.

That was when they spotted a large Dragonite during their ride. On top of it was the current Kanto and Johto champion, Lance.

Lance heard that there was a Gyarados carrying a group of children, followed with many others and he was rightfully curious about why they were doing so. That was when he spotted the group riding the Gyarados as if he's a cute Growlithe. The black haired boy was simply stroking the red crest, the boy with spiky brown hair just sat back and the only girl was holding onto another part of the crest. Gyarados was obviously enjoying their small ministrations of affection if the small growls were anything to go by.

Heck, the entire group of Gyarados around the red one were as tame as they can be. They weren't even hostile to him, but they did stop in front of the Dragonite as if waiting to see what his actions will be.

"Hey kids! What are you doing on top of that huge Gyarados?" Lance shouted in worry. The children finally noticed him as they looked up curiously.

"Hey sir! Gyarados was just giving us a ride around the area since he saw us training one of his recently evolved friends," Ash shouted out and Dragonite got closer to the group and Lance jumped on top of the Gyarados.

Gyarados didn't seem to mind in the slightest as if the weight was nothing… which practically, wasn't.

"Return, Dragonite," Lance recalled his Pokémon as the champion sat down with the children. Now he was curious. These kids trained a Gyarados? They're not even 10 years old!

Even experienced trainers didn't dare to do so.

"Yeah! This Gyarados," Gary pointed at the red one, "is one of the Magikarp we trained in the past. We made him evolve and helped him learn lots of moves. Now he's one of the leaders here. The one on the right and the left are the other two leaders." Gary explained as Lance listened to the children.

Ash seemed to listen to some growls before replying to Gyarados, "Yeah this man won't capture any Gyarados. Don't worry," he reassured the Red Gyarados before he turned to Lance. His red eyes seemed to glow as if daring him to try.

"O-of course I won't," Lance tried to reassure the boy. Those red eyes can intimidate even the league champion. "But did you just understand this Gyarados?" He asked curiously.

Ash simply shrugged, "I've been able to since I was four. Actually, all of these Gyarados are pretty tame. We train the leaders and the leaders train them. It's somewhat of a security measure too since there are lots of small colonies like Horsea underwater." Ash explained that he could listen and also tried to tell the man that they weren't any danger. Heck, Lance was impressed if anything.

"Well I'll be. Do you mind if I try to capture this Gyarados in the future? He's very strong," Lance tried to reason a bit but Ash listened to the Gyarados before nodding.

Ash turned to Lance. "Only when you meet another Gyarados of his color. He will protect this area with his life until you do," Ash told the champion who seemed interested. He still had a Gyarados but that one had desires to be with the Waterflower family for eight badge challenges.

To be honest, having two _shiny_ Gyarados was very tempting. He just had to find another… And this one will be even stronger than it is now.

It was a good deal.

"Sure. That seems fine," Lance nodded. He wouldn't forcefully capture a tame Gyarados if all it does is protect the wild Pokémon. He had more respect for these beasts of the sea.

"Actually…" Lance began as Ash went to sit on one of the crest parts like a comfortable chair. "Could you lead me around? I'm interested in what they're actually trying to protect," Lance offered the idea. If there are any rare species here, the league will definitely place rangers here.

Ash nodded and asked the Gyarados who seemed hesitant at first, but gave up after Ash promised that he won't do anything. Heck, he told the Gyarados that if the man did, 30 Gyarados against a few Pokémon was something not even the strongest want. Not if these 30 Gyarados were well trained and knew hyper beam.

Lance flinched at that idea. He didn't feel like dying anytime soon, thank you very much.

"So care to tell me about you guys?" Lance started as the group began to talk about who they are, who they study under and why they're here exactly.

 **[ Flashback : END ]**

"Actually, Lance," Ash started as he took some distance from the two leaders. "There's a problem involving the waterflower family."

Lance's face turned serious almost instantly. Problems involving gyms are to be taken very seriously.

" _Is it the fact they give out free badges? We've heard rumors,"_ Lance asked professionally. Ash, however, shook his head.

"They do give out free badges." Lance was about to rage but Ash calmed him down by revealing a hand to stop him. "But it's because their parents have discarded them and take the money from the league that is meant to pay for the gym expenses. They have to give shows and so rarely have time or Pokémon to battle. They're trying their best but they can't keep doing this. Actually, I just challenged them and they showed what their gym teaches as well as proper health for their Pokémon."

Lance seemed to be mollified after that. " _Hmm.. I see. I'll investigate their parents' situation but if that's an issue then I will personally hand over the money to an account which only the girls may access. If the parents left them there to fetch for themselves, it is a crime. Thank you for telling me this, Ash. The league was actually thinking of closing the Cerulean Gym or replacing it because of the rumors but now we know the truth. I'll deal with it on my side._ " He thanked Ash who just smiled.

"So how are the two Gyarados doing?" Ash asked the champion who brightened up instantly. " _They're doing great! Actually, you taught him very well. He knows a lot of moves and his resistance against electric attacks is astonishing. To be honest, I'm teaching the one of Gyarados Lake more than the one I captured thanks to your help,_ " Lance cheerfully said.

Ash just chuckled. Lance kept his promise as he saved the Red Gyarados in Johto. Now he had two shiny Gyarados. Both are beasts in their own league now.

"Glad to hear that. It's because Gyarados often sparred with Pikachu and had to resist a lot of Electric attacks," Ash explained and Lance nodded.

" _Thank you for helping, again. I'll deal with the problem, don't worry. Please tell the Waterflower family that the issues involving their gym will be resolved soon._ "

"Thanks Lance. I owe you one," Ash thanked the champion who just shook his head. For what Ash had done, this is nothing. Actually, Lance uses the encyclopedia they made and had to admit, it was a great invention. It helps a lot with his other Pokémon as he only specializes in Dragon types. Kingdra, Charizard and Aerodactyl are being trained according to the encyclopedia and Lance had to admit – it was perfect.

" _Don't worry. Call me anytime Ash. If you capture a dragon-type or want one, please tell me. It's the least I can do,"_ Lance waved him off before the screen turned black. That's when Ash turned around to see Violet and Lily giving him stares.

"You know Lance?" Violet asked in an almost scared voice. Ash chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. That wasn't something he'd like others to know but hey, it had benefits.

"Yeah. Your problems with the gym will be solved soon now that Lance is going after it. Don't worry about costs and feel free to actually fulfil the gym leader roles. Actually, why don't you do things separately? Lily can do the shows, Violet can do either and Daisy handles the gym. It seems logical to me at least." Ash explained his idea to which they had to agree is true. Daisy is a battler. Violet didn't mind either and Lily preferred to do shows.

"Okay then. Let's wait until Brock and Daisy are back with the Pokémon," Violet spoke as the leader and they nodded before going to the back of the gym towards the kitchen for a drink. Ash just followed.

* * *

"We're back!" Brock and Daisy called out to the gym. They entered the pool area and were surprised to see a Frogadier jumping around and battling a Dewgong.

Since when did they have a… Wait, did Seel just evolve?

Ash was watching the battles with a smile and Violet was ordering Dewgong to attack. Frogadier kept his distance and tired out the Dewgong.

It was just some small training after the evolution. Seel was so happy after the news that he too can battle from now on that he evolved into a Dewgong to show he wanted to go in as well. Frogadier offered for a small spar and the two have been going on since.

"Oh hello sis, Brock. Ash's Frogadier was helping out Dewgong after he evolved." Lily walked up to the two surprised teenagers but they soon shrugged it off. Must be Ash and his influence. They're used to shocking news by now.

"What else happened in this short time? We were away only for an hour," Daisy called out to the others and Ash turned to Daisy.

"Wellll…" Ash started as he scratched the side of his cheek. That was when he began to explanation of what happened and his call to Lance.

It was when he finished that Ash had something stolen from him. Daisy was so happy she rushed to hug Ash and gave him a kiss on his lips as a thank you for doing such a thing for them. She was in tears thanks to this news.

Ash was obviously surprised and his cheeks turned red from the action. That was the first time he was kissed on the lips by someone other than the innocent times he tried it out with Leaf or the family kisses with his mother.

Well, no regrets there as Ash smiled at Daisy. He'll just act happy since he didn't know how to act after such a thing.

"It's no problem, Daisy! After seeing you battle like that I have a lot of respect. To hear that you're forced in such circumstances, everyone would take action."

Daisy began giggling. She definitely saw the innocence that Ash had.

"Well, let me add my number to your Xtransceiver. Personal and gym." She winked.

Brock in the distance was yet again, taking notes. _That boy is a goldmine._

* * *

Ash and Brock stayed in Cerulean City for two weeks. During those two weeks they were being taught about water-types by the sisters who were surprisingly very knowledgeable about them. Brock was taught some healing methods and special kinds of treats that some water types liked whereas Ash was shown some special ways to train his Frogadier with water type moves. They were now training for Water Shuriken. Heck, thanks to two weeks of training his Frogadier was nearing his evolution to a Greninja. His Frogadier could now _run_ on top of water.

That was a shocker to not only Ash but also the gym leaders. They didn't know a Frogadier could do that, or any water type other than Surskit. Still, they learnt from it.

Of course they didn't just train Frogadier. Meowth mastered Thunderbolt and learned Water Pulse after Ash showed him that he could also use water type attacks. Fletchinder mastered Steel Wing and was starting to learn Brave Bird. Pikachu was now practicing to unlock Surf. To control water type energy was tough for the mouse, but he made slight progress. Of course, that's a side project. Next to learning Surf, Pikachu was halfway to mastering Amaura is another story. The Pokémon had a lot of ice type attacks but didn't focus on other things so Ash told Amaura to learn Body Slam and get used to moving around more. Even if Amaura is more of a defensive Pokémon, it can still run around and so Body Slam was a good idea. If Amaura evolved, Aurorus would definitely be a beast with that move.

Now they left Cerulean City to go through the woods. Ash mentioned that they'll pass by a Pokémon Trainer School that is practically worthess, a hidden Pokémon village and then they'll reach Bill. Afterwards they'll follow the coast to Vermillion City.

Why not through Saffron City? Because Ash wanted to challenge Sabrina after he has a Greninja and captured a sixth Pokémon. Her gym is a lot harder than the five before it. If he went through Saffron City, he will no doubt try to challenge Sabrina which wil result in a horrible loss. Even Gary avoided her for now and he has an Umbreon.

So now they were on their way to the Pokémon school. Mostly because Brock was interested in what they taught there and Ash didn't really mind taking the long road. His journey so far was only for a month and he had two badges. He can get the other six within a couple of months and then spend a lot of time training his team to their peak performance. Arceus knows they'll need it.

"So Ash, why did you say that this school is considered trash?" Brock asked his traveling companion. Ash turned to him with a wry smile.

Scratching his cheek nervously, he looked away from Brock. "They follow Oak's Pokédex like it's a religion. They think everything works through simulation games and say they're capable of joining the League Championship after completing their study. It's so pathetic I can't even say more than that. The students are all rich children that don't want to travel around or are there by their parents' choices and to be honest, the school only teaches about the Kanto region. They're so sheltered I can't even say anything about it. The only plus side of that school is the training areas for Pokémon but that's only available for the 'elite trainers' in the school."

Brock had to admit, that is a horrible school. He is still interested in the training areas though. "I see… Mind if we still pass through and ask if we can keep a few medical books? They may have something I can study meanwhile."

Ash nodded in agreement. It's not just his journey, but Brock's as well. If he wanted those medical books it's fine.

"From what I remember, they'll be about natural herbs found in Kanto, ways to mix them up and make them taste differently from the bitterness. There's also a book involving the biology of Pokémon which, in my opinion, was very interesting. As a trainer we can target those areas and as a doctor you can find what the exact problem is thanks to those." Ash explained to Brock from what he recalled. Even Oak admitted that the medical books in that school were useful… for Kanto.

It's not that it can't be used in other regions, it's just that Johto will have other herbs compared to Kanto even if some are the same. That's why Ash didn't say no.

Brock nodded and took out a notepad to write it down. It was very useful to know that. Perhaps he'll ask a Nurse Joy for some medical advice and books as well… At least he won't get tossed out of the centers like in Pewter City if he wanted to talk to the Nurse. For some reason they've been getting the Machop evolution line as body guards…

 _Brock was traveling with the reason he couldn't openly flirt with the nurses now._

* * *

"Hmm? Is that an unofficial Gym?" Ash asked Brock who now saw the giant setup as well. It seemed like someone was using it as a battle area for trainers who pass by.

Brock nodded in agreement. "Does seem like it. Want to check it out, Ash?"

"Eh. Why not. We need to pass through it anyway if we want to take the shortcut to the Pokémon school."

So when they started going towards it, Ash got challenged by a boy with a Rattata. Actually, Brock felt sorry for him when Ash called out Meowth.

"Alright Meowth. Today you have to try and fight on your own. I'll take command when you make a mistake." Meowth nodded without speaking. This boy wasn't a leader and will definitely snitch his trainer so he'll keep silent.

"Alright Rattata! Quick Attack!" The Rat Pokémon swiftly moved to the Meowth at a fast speed. Faster than other Rattata that can be found in the wild which proved to at least be a decently trained one. Meowth, however, was used to faster.

Seeing the Rattata come closer, Meowth waited until the last moment. Before the Rattata hit him, Meowth smoothly turned his body to the side and the Rattata barely missed him. Now the rat had to break his speed after missing and Meowth took that as an advantage.

Rushing in he twisted his body again and used Iron Tail to smoothly knock out the weaker Rattata. It can't be helped that he was now getting stronger and stronger to battle gym leader Pokémon. Rattata just can't match him now.

"Well done Meowth. Want to stay outside of your pokéball for today? The way you dodged was well performed."

Meowth nodded happily as he jumped up to Ash's other shoulder, hanging onto it like Pikachu.

The boy groaned in disappointment. "Aww! Another loss… But hey! You can battle AJ if you want! He's the top trainer of this area!"

Ash blinked a few times as he listened to that. Top trainer eh? Doesn't sound so bad.

"Sure," Ash agreed and Brock shrugged. Ash needed better opponents in Brock's honest opinion. Even he had trouble at times because Ash was a monster in training and that showed in his Pokémon.

Though Brock was slowly getting hints from Ash for his own. Actually, Roselia was now quite capable in the move Magical Leaf and can control the leaves for 10 minutes straight. Onix was starting to use his horn more and head based attacks. Pupitar was learning new moves such as Iron Head thanks to Pikachu helping him by helping him out to make iron energy surround his head. His Graveler was also starting to use Mega Punch and Brick Break.

Since Onix and Graveler train differently compared to the usual Pokémon as they're rock types, Ash left that to Brock. Pupitar, however, only has a rock skin and tons of muscles underneath. Those muscles are growing constantly until evolution, where it becomes a Tyranitar. Roselia was forced to train on special attacks and so Ash left her in Amaura's hands with training methods as Amaura was a specialist in that.

Brock felt like he should still train his Graveler until he'd let him evolve though. A Golem evolves through trade and so he needed Ash for that later. Ash did mention that he might capture a trade Pokémon as well so Brock was satisfied with that. Pupitar was close to evolution if his growth was any sign and Onix had started learning countless new moves. Only when Onix finishes to train Iron Head will he let him evolve into a Steelix.

Ash, oblivious to Brock's thoughts, walked ahead since Brock was thinking deeply and he spotted a Sandshrew taking out a Wartortle. Not bad.

"Hmph. You're lucky kid!" The challenger sneered at AJ who just let out a sigh at such immature children. The challenger returned the Wartortle before turning to Ash.

"Well well, if it ain't Ashy-boy. What's the nerdy freak doin' here?" Sneered Naga, now that Ash recognized him.

"Hee? You're already here Naga? Did you skip the Cerulean Gym or something?" Ash asked curiously. Naga just looked at the side.

"Hmph. Cerulean Gym is weak, I've heard they give out badges so I'm ignoring that one. I even reported them to the league."

Ash shook his head. He didn't even confirm the rumors. "Go back then. They're taking challenges. Seeing your Wartortle you'll most likely face their Starmie as a two badge challenge."

Naga grunted. Like he cared what the guy said, all he was, was a nerd with no skill. Ash's advice is useless. "Whatever. See ya later nerd. I've got better stuff to do than talking to you."

Walking past Ash, Naga spotted Brock who was looking at him. Suddenly Naga felt very small but he still walked past him.

Brock let out a sigh before turning to Ash. "Why let him talk down on you like that?" He asked his friend.

Ash shrugged. "Useless. I've got better stuff to do than trying to correct a useless case. I'm surprised if he'll reach the league and if he does, I'll simply crush him."

Brock chuckled. That definitely sounded like Ash alright.

"Are you a new challenger?" AJ asked Ash who looked at him. Seeing Sandshrew who stood next to him, Ash nodded. That Pokémon was very well trained.

"I am. I'd like to face that Sandshrew."

AJ blinked a few times. Usually he had to tell them to face his Sandshrew for training but it seems this boy went straight for him… and seeing his Pikachu and Meowth, he could feel that this will be a great battle.

"Alright. What Pokémon will you use, challenger?"

"The name's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Consider me a better opponent than Naga though, he's far too arrogant and didn't even train his Wartortle outside of battles. At least, that's what I saw from its tail."

AJ nodded in respect. This was a good trainer.

"Which Pokémon will you use, Ash?" He repeated the question. Ash probably forgot thanks to the small rant.. well, anyone would get mad at such a guy. AJ understood that much.

"Ah. I'll use Meowth, he's still needing some experience against stronger Pokémon. You'll do perfectly." Ash grinned at AJ who returned it. Now that's a nice idea.

"Let's go then. Sandshrew, ready for another win?" He asked his trusty partner who nodded eagerly. " _Always, AJ!_ "

Ash chuckled as he looked at Meowth who nodded. Jumping down, the Cat Pokémon walked to the field on two feet.

"I'll let you start, AJ," Ash offered AJ who nodded in acceptance. Trainers don't offer that often so he'll take his chance.

"Defense Curl. Follow up with Rollout," AJ ordered in order to get a harder shell and thus a stronger rollout. Not a bad tactic… if it wasn't for the fact Meowth didn't need commands to battle.

Meowth clapped in his paws and the Defense Curl was disturbed. Sandshrew flinched from the pain of that attack and soon enough received an Iron Tail in its stomach and got sent flying back.

AJ blinked a few times. That's a new one. "Where'd your Meowth learn to fight like that?" He asked his opponent curiously.

Ash nodded. At least AJ was clear minded. "The second gym in Cerulean City teaches Pokémon trainers to let their Pokémon battle on their own. I use this as training as well so that we can split the task. I can keep an eye on the field, and the Pokémon can battle his opponent." Ash explained to AJ who gained an understanding look.

That's a very good idea to follow. He was starting to like his idea to challenge the gyms.

"Alright then. Sandshrew, dig!" The Mouse Pokémon instantly dug into the ground but Meowth wasn't worried. He walked up to the hole and opened his mouth widely as a blue orb was forming.

"What's he doing?"AJ asked Ash curiously. Ash decided to indulge AJ's question.

"Water Pulse. A water type move that's more commonly used in Cerulean Gym and Hoenn," Ash explained and AJ nodded. That's a tough one.

Meowth blasted the orb of water into the hole, effectively damaging Sandshrew and making him dig through mud instead of dirt. That's a lot harder… if it wasn't for AJ's training.

Sandshrew soon dug out with mud covering him and it was slightly panting, but still ready to battle.

"Fissure!" AJ shouted out and Ash looked at him in shock. What the heck did this guy teach that Sandshrew?!

Meowth knew the move as well as his eyes widened and he soon jumped up the moment Sandshrew nearly hit the ground. Using Iron Tail, Meowth twisted his body and used the heavy weight of the tail to now move to the side so he didn't fall in that move.

Sandshrew saw that and got some slight inspiration from that. Heck, even Ash learned from that. That's a good way to dodge in midair.

However, it was a battle. "Jump up and give him your mega punch, Sandshrew!" Meowth kept spinning his body as it kept going faster and Sandshrew jumped up now the target had a harder time to dodge. Meowth's iron tail and Sandshrew's mega punch hit each other and both were blasted off.

While Meowth received tough training, Sandshrew had received it longer. The Mega Punch did some heavy damage and Meowth was panting now. This was worse than Gyarados in a way.

Meowth felt irritated though and his eyes began to hurt… But he felt like he should listen to his instincts.

Glaring down at the Sandshrew, his eyes began to glow a dark purple and soon enough Sandshrew fell asleep. Taking his chance, Meowth used a Water Pulse to blast him off the field before Meowth tiredly walked back to Ash.

"Congratulations, Meowth! You just unlocked Hypnosis as well! You've unlocked your egg moves pretty fast actually." Ash commented offhandedly. That's a fast speed the Meowth learned moves.

Meowth gave a tired nod. "Ye. I've been readin' yer book actually to look at how Hypnosis works and kept tryin' ta learn it in mah time off. My eyes hurt though. I need more practice."

Ash chuckled as he showed Meowth's cherish ball. With a tired grunt, Meowth raised his paw and touched it, being returned.

Turning to AJ, he spotted the boy treating Sandshrew with a smile.

"Hey AJ!" Ash called out as he ran towards the boy. Brock followed up at a sedate pace, not minding Ash's actions.

AJ turned to Ash with a curious look. "Yes, Ash?"

Ash smiled down at AJ. "Keep up that training. I can see you use the same methods as me. Training equipment for movement and muscle growth and seeing Sandshrew still conscious you also trained him in water. I can admire that," Ash admitted and AJ rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed blush.

Thinking about it, Ash decided to help the boy out.

"Can you hand over your pokédex for a minute? I'll upload a program that'll help you train your Pokémon. It's something I made with my friends when we studied under Professor Oak."

AJ was shocked but still obliged the request. This boy studied under Oak? No wonder he's so tough!

Brock blinked a few times before smiling. It seems Ash admired those who trained hard.

Uploading his encyclopedia software into the Pokédex, which still nobody can crack other than the creators and those who studied under them, he finished it soon enough and showed it to AJ.

"Follow those methods to train your Pokémon to learn moves. There's info on basic likes and dislikes, as well as a few recipes to feed them after training so they'll grow faster. You'll have to look more into it if you want to know more, though." Ash teased slightly and AJ nodded happily. That's some good stuff!

"Don't tell others though!" AJ jumped in surprise as he looked at Ash. Ash had a serious look on his face. "I don't want all trainers to find out. I give this to you out of respect. I don't want snobbish trainers finding out my ways of training until I've been training my team for a longer time. Trainers need to keep their secrets. Well… I have lots of ways to train which aren't written there, but those methods are some of the better ones. Not the best, but good enough."

AJ nodded in understanding. He too, didn't want others to get his equipment. He even made those himself.

"I understand Ash. If that's all, I will wish you a safe journey. When we meet again, I want a rematch! I'll definitely beat you then!" AJ challenged with a grin and Ash returned it, shaking hands.

 _That day, Ash made another friend and another rival._

* * *

They travelled for another day and finally reached a misty area. It was hard to see through it but Ash knew his way and his red eyes glowed through the mist. Heck, Brock just followed Ash with ease as the boy was walking through it all.

Mist never had effect on Ash. He could force a little bit more aura into his eyes and see the area no matter what, tough in black, white and blue. What he didn't know is that it is called 'Aura Sight' but he still did it.

"So are we there yet, Ash?" Brock asked his companion who nodded. That was until he saw a kid on the ground and a few surrounding him.

They couldn't hear their conversation as they stood a bit away from them but they did walk up to the boy after those kids left.

"Hey," Ash asked the boy and he went onto his knee to help him up. "What's up with those guys?"

"Oh.. They're friends. They were just askin' when Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto and all…" Joe said with a sad voice. "They evolve at level 18 and then again at 36," He mumbled but Ash could hear it. He frowned slightly at that… Levels don't exactly matter. How else can there be so called 'level 11' Gyarados?

"Oh well.. The name's Joe. I'm a student at the Pokémon Technical Institute. We learn how to fight with Pokémon and after finishing the study we can battle in the league."

Ash sighed in annoyance. It seems this boy was another arrogant kid, but he'll go down easily. "The name's Ash. Can you guide us to the institute? My friend is interested in some medical books there," Ash explained to the boy who nodded. They often sold those books to traveling trainers so he understood.

* * *

The group reached the Institute and Joe was giving them a tour through it. That was until they saw a simulator and now even Brock was frowning.

Joe still explained it though. "This is where we do gym battle exams. Right now I'm a two badge trainer. Brock and Misty were fairly easy to beat with a Weepingbell," Joe explained with a smile.

Brock then decided to poke up. Ash wanted to do the same though, but Brock was faster.

"Ha! I'd like to see you try! The fact that you consider winning against _me_ in a simulation battle is an insult, Joe. The name's Brock and I used to be the Pewter Gym Leader. I'd like to see you try and win against me in a real battle," Brock was annoyed. Else he wouldn't raise his voice like that… Not that Ash couldn't understand that. Even he would be pissed off at that.

"Hmm… I see. You're a rock type trainer so this'll do," Joe raised his glasses as if it'll be an easy battle and he called out his Weepingbell. Brock threw his pokéball down and revealed a massive Pupitar.

"Eh? You're supposed to have an Onix and Geodude!" Joe panicked but Brock started to get even angrier… What the hell is up with this institute?

"Oh well. We can still win. Weepingbell, razor leaf!" The Weepingbell let out a minor cry before firing razor leaves at the Pupitar who simply stood still. The attack hit but Pupitar didn't even cry out.

The Pupitar's defense was _far_ too high for such a weak attack to work, even if super effective.

"Iron Head," With that, Pupitar rushed to the Weepingbell who couldn't even dodge properly. Hitting it head on, Weepingbell was sent flying into a wall and completely unconscious.

Returning Pupitar, Brock frowned at Joe. "Is that what they teach you kids? My Geodude evolved months ago. The only reason so many trainers won in the first place is because I had no time to train them properly. Now I do."

"Hmph. It seems that you're still weak, Joe," A snobby voice could be heard and Ash glared straight up. Giselle. That girl got on his nerves beyond belief.

Joe looked up. "Giselle?"

"You couldn't even beat Brock. How lame, no wonder you're one of the lower rank students," She giggled at the face he made.

Ash decided to break this up. "Girl, you're not even strong yourself," He spoke up calmly to the girl as his Pikachu was growling on his shoulder.

"Haa? You think you can beat me? Unlike Joe, I'm a five badge trainer. Bring it on… but if you win, hand over that cute little Pikachu," Giselle winked at Pikachu who now began to spark dangerously.

Ash's red eyes began to glow ominously. This girl thought of Pokémon as prizes?

"Brock, after trashing her we're leaving. Go fetch the books while I battle," He told his friend who nodded understandingly. Nobody will ever get his starter and that girl thought to get Ash's? No way.

"Well then. I'll show you your place, come out, Graveler," She called out a tough looking Graveler but it seemed annoyed with her…

' _Is that even her own Pokémon?_ ' Ash thought as he looked at the Rock Pokémon. It grunted and shook his head at that foolish girl before obeying like he was told to.

"Sigh. Since you think you're so tough, come out, Glacia," Ash called out his fossil Pokémon. He believed himself to be tough enough to handle four badge trainers with all of his Pokémon except Meowth for now, so that is enough to protect the shiny Amaura. It's not a baby either.

"What Pokémon is that?!" Giselle shrieked before looking at it hungrily, as if deciding to grab it. "When you lose, nevermind that Pikachu, give me that one!"

Ash started growling louder and Glacia understood why. This was one of the trainers Ash explained to her. They're trash who take others' Pokémon.

"Give that Graveler your Take Down," Ash ordered and Amaura nodded. Rushing towards the Rock Type, she slammed straight into it and her ability activated.

 **Refrigerate**. An ability that turns all normal type moves into Ice-type moves and increases its power as well.

Graveler never stood a chance against that. Even if its defense was high enough, it couldn't withstand such a powerhouse of an Amaura and a times two supereffective. It went down like it's nothing.

"What?! You… Come out Cubone! Get that Pokémon for me!" Giselle growled angrily.

Now Ash isn't one to be angered but she touched the wrong areas of his personality by trying to take his Pokémon. He never even accepted, she just decided he did and expected him to listen. Heck, teachers were watching and expecting him to do it if he lost too… What would he gain out of this anyway?

"Ice Beam."

The Cubone was instantly a frozen statue as it was knocked out. Her Pokémon were meant to battle fifth badge trainers?

Glacia survived for a long time in the past under various circumstances. It was kill or be killed back then. That Cubone can't even be compared to his Amaura.

Returning his Pokémon, he looked absolutely disappointed. "Glad I didn't go here. Professor Oak was right, this place is trash," He grunted and walked off. Brock soon ran after him carrying a few books. They just left the area. No pep talk for Giselle, no calling out Joe to start a journey.

They didn't deserve such a thing if they're arrogant like that. Joe can't stand up for himself, then he'll have to learn for himself. Giselle thought she was the boss? She went down easier than the Rattata trainer before AJ.

A disappointment for Ash but at least Brock got some books.

* * *

"So why are we going to that Hidden Village, Ash?" Brock asked his friend who smiled at him in return.

"This village contains a lot of Pokémon. Heck, you might even find one you're interested in Brock. There's loads of them, even a few rare ones. It used to be easy to find but we relocated it in the past and now nobody but the Pokémon know of it."

Brock nodded as they avoided some wildlife. Ash didn't cut anything down, he simply moved it aside so all the paths were hidden. He even made sure his footsteps weren't left behind so Brock was curious as to why he's like that.

Brock had Roselia out as well to make sure there were no grass types that'll attack them. Using widespread sweet scent helped a lot to distract wild Pokémon in the area.

That was until they finally reached a clearing. There was a large, wooden house hidden under the trees where a single girl was mixing some herbs. Surrounding her were tons of Pokémon.

Dratini, Vileplume, Starmie, Pidgeot, Arcanine… All kinds of Pokémon. It's not even a surprise to Ash, but Brock was definitely shocked.

 _Those Pokémon are all insanely rare!_

Ash ran up to the group and the Pokémon who spotted him instantly called out in happy cries. Melanie also turned around in a pleasant surprise.

 _"Ash!" "Hey buddy!" "Welcome back, Ash!"_ Countless cries of Pokémon were heard and Brock was surprised as he followed Ash quickly. The Pokémon didn't seem to mind him since he was with Ash.

"Hello Ash. How are you doing? I've met Gary a while ago too." Melanie asked with a kind smile on her face. Brock wasn't going to flirt though, no, he was too impressed. Her knowledge was very high if his books were right because he could see many rare herbs of the forest.

"I'm doing fine! This is Brock, he's tagging along to learn more about being a Pokémon doctor and a breeder," Ash introduced his friend right away who nodded to her and shook her hand.

After that though, Brock was instantly interested in seeing such a beautiful fur on that Arcanine. Being the ever so curious man about Pokémon health, he walked up to the Arcanine and began stroking its fur.

Ash just chuckled at Brock's actions as he looked around. Every Pokémon was healthy and growing up fine. This village is different compared to before. Now, they can all stay and train with each other thanks to his, Leaf and Gary's help. Even Professor Oak did not know of this place, only his Dragonite.

"I can see you've lots to tell me. Why don't we have a cup of tea?" Melanie offered and Ash nodded. He grabbed a table and began placing it outside so they can have a small lunch too.

"Brock! Can you make a small lunch for us? I'll help Melanie prepare some tea," Ash called to his friend and Brock instantly began to get his cooking equipment.

The surrounding Pokémon were surprised by the new man but they didn't complain. He had a peaceful air around him, even Arcanine didn't mind being stroked by him.

* * *

"Ohh. You've got two badges already? Congratulations Ash!" Melanie said cheerfully with a happy smile. Her friend really got stronger through the year. She then looked to the side seeing rare Pokémon that belonged to him and Brock.

"You've also captured a few rare friends. Even that rare ice-type."

Ash nodded as he watched his Pokémon play around. Even Hermit, the Frogadier, was playing around with a few Pokémon. There was a Grovyle so they were most likely holding a small contest on who is more acrobatic.

"So Brock," Melanie turned to the dark skinned man who looked at her with a questioning gaze, "are you interested in capturing a Pokémon from here? If you are, you're allowed to do so only if the Pokémon wishes to come as well." Melanie spoke up with a 'no nonsense' tone. Brock had to agree that it was alright. The Pokémon that were close to Melanie before apparently belonged to her and were trained by Ash – except the Dratini.

Looking around, Brock spotted a small red-brown Pokémon with six tails. He was interested in that Pokémon right away… something felt like he had to get closer to her.

It was actually the beginning of a special bond that a trainer can have with their Pokémon. It's similar to an aura bond where they can eventually communicate with no problems and it seems that the Vulpix attracted Brock. Perhaps it's because they may have similar natures.

Ash looked interested as Brock never acted that way. Perhaps it was something that was destined to happen? Brock did seem like the kind of guy that will have a Ninetales in the end. Ninetales are very wise Pokémon and some are even capable of using psychic type moves. They grow rather old and so are very motherly to every Pokémon around them, taking care of many young ones.

Leaving Brock to it, he turned to Melanie. "Seems like another bond has been formed. Bulbasaur was the same, wasn't he?" He asked Melanie who instantly giggled. Yes, that was an amusing sight. The Bulbasaur that hated humans saw Leaf and instantly tackled her down and began nuzzling her as if she's his mother or something.

It was beyond amusing to them. Even now, that Pokémon protected Leaf fiercely… Ash could remember the day he accidently groped Leaf and got hit by Ivysaur's vine whip. Damn that hurt. It even made him flinch now.

Melanie spotted it and had to ask, "Why'd you flinch like that?"

"Well…" Ash just started talking about the old days and how Bulbasaur is now a very protective Ivysaur… as well as why he flinched.

Melanie giggled in amusement. That's definitely Ash's life.

* * *

They spent a few days there to let Vulpix say goodbye to her friends there. Brock seemed to be really attached to the Fox Pokémon and was often seen brushing her or training her alongside his other Pokémon.

Sometimes Ash wondered if he treated the Vulpix like his daughter but ignored it. The bond was already forming too, as they began to be able to speak and understand each others' expressions. It was halfway to understanding the speech. Once you understand the speech, the bond allows you to listen to other Pokémon as well.

Perhaps it's an inborn aura thing that involves the bond. It's very similar to an aura bond, yet not similar at all. Ash still had to study more about it and seeing how Brock was coming with him, it gave him enough time to do so.

Saying goodbye to Melanie wasn't pleasant as they hugged her before leaving the area. The Pokémon were sad to see Ash go again, but he promised to return sometime.

Now they all had their Pokémon outside of their pokéballs. Fletchinder took to the skies and Pikachu was holding onto him, looking around the misty area as they reached Bill's Lighthouse.

Pupitar and Amaura were simply talking about rock type moves and ways to improvise on them.

Roselia, Vulpix and Meowth were discussing some finer points of taking care of their body. They were still new and Meowth decided to help out a little with what he's known so far.

Onix and Graveler remained in their pokéball after being out for a while. They didn't seem to like the mist so much so Brock returned them.

Frogadier was simply walking next to Ash, taking in all the sights like a hawk. He wasn't going to lower his guard in a misty area.

"Oh, look. It's the lighthouse," Ash said cheerfully as he spotted the place his friend lives. The group noticed it as well and were awed at the sight.

Ash turned to his Pokémon. "Who wants to remain out of their ball?" Ash asked his friends. Meowth, Pikachu and Amaura stayed out but the other two returned as they didn't mind.

" _C'mon Ash! I wanna see Bill again! Maybe we'll meet Titan as well!_ " Pikachu called out happily. Ash just smiled and walked on. Brock had asked the same to his team and only Vulpix and Roselia remained outside of their pokéballs.

Knocking on the door and pressing the intercom, Ash called out for his friend. "Heeey! Bill, it's me, Ash! You there?"

" _Ash? Man it's nice to hear of ya! I'm in some trouble at the moment but come on in. Can you help me get out of this costume again?"_

Ash chuckled as he walked inside with the group after the door was unlocked by Bill. They were greeted to the sight of a giant Kabuto and Amaura looked in fascination. That truly is a giant Kabuto if you looked closely, but she could feel that this wasn't a real one.

" _Ash! Man, it's nice to get out of this! Titan would get annoyed if I couldn't get out in time… again._ " The Kabuto spoke to Ash and he laughed. Glacia recognized the voice as the one who answered from the device earlier so she walked up to the Kabuto.

" _Hmm? Is that an honest-for-goodness Amaura? That coloring also means it's a shiny… Damn Ash! I knew your luck was amazing!_ "

Amaura smiled and found a red button under one of the claws. Helping out, she pressed it with her nose and the suit became undone.

Coming out of it came a 19 year old researcher, Bill. His green, fashionable hairstyle and suit matched very well together. It showed both his status as one of the richer people, as well as being a researcher.

"Welcome, welcome. Thank you kindly, Amaura," Bill thanked the Ice/Rock type Pokémon who simply nodded and returned to Ash's side. Bill inspected her for a while before smiling.

"It's nice to see you again, Ash. I see you've brought Brock of Pewter City as well. Since you study medicine, let me give you some books before you leave," Bill offered and Brock hesitantly nodded. This man was very rich if anything so it might be a real blessing. Heck, he wondered if traveling with Ash was going to be like this all of the time.

"So Bill! When's Titan coming?" Ash asked his friend who simply smiled. "Tonight, Ash. Tonight. You're right on time like usual so don't worry."

Ash nodded and soon went to the kitchen. He always prepared a few special pokéblocks for giant Pokémon for that Dragonite.

Bill turned to Brock. "Why don't you come with me and we'll talk about some of the medical areas of Pokémon? I might be a researcher who looks after all kinds of Pokémon and studies them, but I am also a qualified doctor on the same level as Nurse Joy." He explained to the former Gym Leader who suddenly looked very interested and had an eager look.

"Please do!" Brock called out happily and went after the man.

The Pokémon who stayed for a bit looked at each other before shrugging. They didn't really mind if their trainers were like that.

Soon enough, a fluffy ball of fur hopped in front of them. " _Vui!_ " which meant " _Hey!_ "

Seeing a new Pokémon, the group just decided to talk to Eevee. Pikachu knew him already so it was fine. Amaura needed more time to communicate with others anyway.

* * *

It was at night when the lighthouse began to shine brightly. The mist was thick and heavy as a giant shadow was seen walking through the ocean.

Ash and his friends stood at the top of the lighthouse. Fletchinder was already out of his pokéball in case Ash wanted to fly up to him. All of their Pokémon were staring at the giant Pokémon in respect, as if seeing the second coming of Arceus.

"Woah… So this is a Dragonite with the Royal Gene?" Brock asked Bill who shook his head.

"Not just that, young man." Bill started as he looked at his friend, Titan. "Titan is one of the first 'Royal Species' Pokémon and the only known Dragonite to have it. You can consider him ancient because he is far, far older than a Dragonite can be."

Ash smiled up as he saw his friend again. The cheerful, melodious voice can be reached to anyone as if humming a sweet tune.

"Titan! Nice to see you buddy!" Ash called out to his friend who now looked closely and instantly let out a happy, soft cry.

" _Ash! It seems you have made new friends as well._ " The giant Dragonite saw them and when he got revealed, Brock could see it looking down at them and got closer to the Lighthouse with its head. It opened its jaws as if expecting something and Ash threw the specially made pokéblocks inside of it. The Dragonite instantly began chewing as the Pokéblocks began to grow into a larger size inside of its jaws.

That was another trick Ash knew involving certain kinds of food. It's something that Oak taught him eventually to feed Snorlax, but this Dragonite needed even more. Thus, he made this. Even now, Oak and his own Dragonite came to pay respect Titan every now and then.

That's also the reason Titan is more often seen here.

" _Thank you very much, Ash. It always tastes great when you make it,_ " Everyone could see a happy tail waving behind the Dragonite, making them chuckle. It was like a puppy got fed and this was an ancient puppy.

"You're welcome Titan. Oh by the way, meet my friends. This is Falcon, you know him though. This is Meowth, who can speak human language," Ash was interrupted by Meowth as he waved and said a quick 'Nice to meet ya big guy' but he ignored it. "Then there's Hermit, the Frogadier and Glacia, the Amaura."

" _Oh? An Amaura in this age, you must have restored her. Seeing her up close, I can imagine it hasn't been long since the restoration but she has adapted extremely well. As expected,_ " Titan spoke in some wise words. After all, he met countless 'fossil' Pokémon in the past. He _is_ one of the oldest Pokémon in existence.

Legendaries do not mess with Titan. Titan messes with them. This is a walking fortress.

"Yeah! It's a shame that Alakazam and Gengar aren't here though. I would've liked to introduce them to my friends too."

Titan made a soft chuckle. " _Do not fret. I will tell them. To be honest, they're extremely happy that you unsealed them. Now we're just looking for Claydoll and Wailord. I still can't imagine how that damn Wailord remains hidden so well…"_

Ash giggled and Meowth simply translated the conversation. The others stood back as they watched the 12 year old boy converse with something akin to a God.

"Why don't you try looking for islands that may swim around? It is possible that he uses it as camouflage. Perhaps Mirage Island?"

The Dragonite stiffened before groaning and slamming one of its paws on its face. That may answer a lot of questions…

" _I'll try and tell the others._ " Titan confirmed it before looking at Brock. Looking down, he moved closer and used one of his feelers to touch his forehead and Titan nodded in respect. He used some minor psychic powers to read the trainers' mind and memories.

" _Please tell this young man that he has a good future ahead of himself if he comes along. He will meet many Pokémon, and I've seen various sights of beautiful women that may end up accompanying him._ "

Ash nodded and told Brock what had been said and they could see him suddenly cheer and laugh like a madman…

Even Titan sweat dropped with the others. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to say that? Ah well, now Ash had extra protection… for the rest of his life or something if that large grin on Brock's face was anything to go by.

" _So tell me how your adventure has been so far. I haven't seen you for a while. Also, translate for Bill if you can,_ " Titan began so they can share stories.

Ash did as he was told.

 _It's a nice reunion. Sometimes, Ash shows that he has **scary** friends. _

* * *

**What's up everyone? Here's another chapter… Kinda rushed in some ways. I mean, multiple episodes because I wanted to do so. The Lighthouse is a start to the next one and in a few chapters the sixth Pokémon will be revealed.**

 **What will Ash capture? Why is it captured? Many won't figure it out until it happens. Just know – it will be something very different compared to other aura stories!**

 **So, who liked the idea of Brock having a Roselia? I kinda wanted her as a distraction for Brock until the third companion comes up. Still looking for ideas but I'm hinting to two possible girls so far. Those are Erika, who is interested in the journey and to take a small break from being a leader to Sabrina as she will owe Ash something. How will Sabrina's story go? I will not spoil. I've said too much already.**

 **So. Still no evolution for Ash, but that doesn't matter! We gotta progress Brock as well! I wanted the Cerulean Gym to be different because Misty will still travel. Daisy might, _might_ become a love interest or a small dating relationship with Ash in the future. **

**Lance's connection with Ash… Well, I thought it'd be funny. Ash has many friends. Many, _scary_ , friends. Titan the Ancient Dragonite, Bill the Researcher, Lance the Champion and many others will be revealed in the future. **

**Will he have enemies too? Who knows. Look at Naga for one. Look forward to the next chapter guys! I'll start writing it right away… And stop making such giant chapters to skip over some episodes.**


	6. Road of the Seas

**Helloooo everyone! Welcome to chapter 6, Road of the Seas! Quite literally at the end, but that's something you'll have to see for yourself!**

 **This chapter contains the third gym battle as well as SS Anne with a new twist! Will you like it? Will you dislike it? I have no idea. I thought this was a unique approach and for future usage.**

 **I'll also tell you guys that there will be some language in this chapter. I apologize in advance but c'mon. It's understandable in that situation.**

 **Anyway I hope you guys will like this chapter! Pikachu wrecks Raichu just like how it should be and more. Why? 'Cause Pikachu is Ash's first pokémon and far stronger than the others. Why else is he considered the leader of the group?**

 **P.S. Evolutions. Ash may start losing battles against Brock and other trainers now though. Gyms will be harder from here on.**

 **Update: 10-01-2016: Corrected 'Steal' with 'Steel'. Thank you reviewers!**

* * *

After a pleasant talk with Ash's friend, Titan - who still scared the living hell out of Brock when the Dragon laughed - the group left to have a meal and some rest for the night.

It was the day after that they decided to leave already. Brock received a lot of medical books to make progress on his studies and Ash received Bill's number to contact him in case he needs something. It was apparently forgotten during his last visit to Bill.

Ash also received the offer to own an Eevee but he denied saying that while he'd love to have one, he wanted a different pokémon for Kanto's journey. He did mention that Leaf has recently been wanting one thanks to their conversations at night and handed Bill her nummer to contact her as well.

Sometimes he has to be a good friend above a good trainer. Eevee are rare, but friends are precious.

Now, Brock and Ash were on their way. Like usual, Meowth and Pikachu were hanging on Ash's shoulders and Vulpix seemed to have taken a liking to do the same.

Perhaps it was because Brock is so tall that she can see more?

"So Brock, what do you intend to do when we arrive at Vermillion City?" Ash asked his companion.

Brock simply shrugged. He didn't really have any interest there and was reading a book whilst walking next to Ash. He didn't really need to pay attention since they took the road now.

"I don't really care, Ash. Maybe we can get S.S. Anne tickets and see if there's anything to win there. It might be a nice experience."

Ash thought about it before asking Pikachu and Meowth. The both of them nodded that it might be a nice experience.

"Alright. we'll go there after I beat Surge. It won't leave for a few days anyway and I trust Pikachu and Glacia to win this battle," Ash smiled as he looked at his friends. He could even feel Glacia's cherish ball humming in agreement.

Ash still had trouble to stay to his nicknames for his pokémon but it didn't really matter. They all reply to either, still, he liked to call them by their nicknames in private or battle against the same species.

"Seems like a fair plan, Ash. I don't really have any complaints. I'll keep trying to up my study though, so I'll just watch your battles there."

"Eh, ain't much ta see. I'd reckon dat Ash'll just beat some trainers and train us. Maybe he knows some of dem wild pokémon dere to talk to?" Meowth poked into the conversation. Pikachu seemed to think about it before agreeing.

" _Ash, ash! Isn't there a giant underwater sea cavern? There's also tons of the Gyarados we know there. I'd love to see 'em! Though the sea cavern will be impossible…_ "

Vulpix seemed to explain it to Brock instead of Ash. It seems their bond is getting closer and closer… Heck, Brock may even unlock his aura someday.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that Ash radiates aura at times and that Brock's body absorbed it.

No matter.

"Oh, I see the city," Ash commented as Brock looked up from his book. He nodded and put a bookmark in it before putting it in his bag.

Brock turned to his friend, "Let's get going then. Roselia and Pupitar have been sparring a lot lately and I think it's because Pupitar wants to evolve soon so he's training against his weakness."

Ash looked at Brock with a perfect deadpan expression. "You know I'll be pretty damn terrified of seeing a Tyranitar in our training battles, right? Your Pupitar is already strong, imagine a Tyranitar… If you did the league challenge, I might just give up. Steelix, Rhydon or Rhyperior, Tyranitar, Roserade, Ninetales and another pokémon. That'd be one sick team to battle."

Brock laughed out loud. Now that he thought about it, his team can indeed become a real scare for many trainers. "Good point! I'll train hard to get there! Though I don't want a Rhyperior, I find that a Rhydon is strong enough. If I purchase an Eviolite it would be amazing. Those items increase their defense to immense levels."

Ash nodded in agreement. That is a good idea.

The duo and their pokémon arrived in Vermillion City not long after.

* * *

"Hello, how may I help you?" Nurse Joy asked as she spotted Ash and Brock. Both held out some poké and Cherish balls.

"Please restore these guys." Ash asked with a soft smile. He was never rude with Nurse Joy and she kept professional. Something he liked.

Brock seemed to think about something before nodding. "Nurse Joy," he asked and he saw Nurse Joy's eyes turn slightly nasty at seeing him. Most likely heard of him from other Joys. "May I have some of your medical study books? I understand that the Joy family has a lot of them. I currently have the ones needed for travel using wild ingredients and one for traveling with equipment, but not heavy equipment like in a Pokémon Center."

Nurse Joy seemed to change in an instant, turning more pleasant. It seems the famous Joy Flirt was different when needed. She nodded since she no longer needed those and grabbed three large books. One for heavy medicine, one for operations and one for special recovery situations like a Chimchar or Cyndaquil being unable to use fire attacks.

Brock thanked her with a deep bow as he accepted those and put them away in his bag. Their pokémon were soon restored since there wasn't any heavy damage.

Now that Ash thought about it, he wondered how Daisy's Kingdra was doing. After it evolved with Ash's Dragon Scale it became a real beast. It still lost to Pikachu in the end because Ash took complete command but still. It really turned into a monster.

Thinking deeper… Melanie's pokémon are also beasts.

Bill owns a powerful Alakazam and is friends with Titan.

Oak owns a Dragonite, Charizard and other powerful pokémon.

Lance is the Champion and has a team of dragons.

Really, his friends were all amazing. He needed to catch up soon.

Good thing that his friend, Cynthia Shirona, was also starting this time with a Gible. He would've hated to see her ahead of him that far too. He needed some rivals after all.

"Please Nurse Joy! Help my pokémon!" Tons of trainers ran inside. Ash could see electric damage on all of them- is that a Pidgey?

"Is…. Is that a Pidgey, Pikachu? Not a Ditto or anything?" He asked his friend who shook his head in disbelief as well.

Ash might be considered a hypocrite for this but… A Pidgey. A freaking Pidgey. Against the third gym leader. Now, he used Fletchinder against Brock but still. That was at least doable. This is just insane because Pidgey don't learn _any_ good moves against Electric-type pokémon.

" _That is the most stupid idea I've ever seen. I want that Raichu though._ " Pikachu mumbled as he shook his head in sheer amazement at the rookies their idiocity.

Heck, even Ash when he first met him knew of these things. How come 12 year old trainers do not even know about it?

Brock was in a similar state with Vulpix but soon enough they managed to shake themselves out of it.

"Let's just.. Y'know. Do the gym battle." Ash offered the idea to his friend who nodded. He wanted to get out of there because Nurse Joy seemed absolutely livid at the trainer's choices for pokémon battles against Lt. Surge.

* * *

The duo walked up to the gym with their pokémon. On the way they helped a kind lady and her Machop to search for her glasses and they all received some candy.

Well, _rare_ candy. Special candy that can raise a pokémon's level according to the pokédex, but what it does is basically force a Pokémon to grow. It's not painful or anything, but a waste.. Still, he gave it to Meowth whilst chewing on his own. Pikachu didn't like the taste anyway. Brock did the same with Pupitar who happily ate both of them.

Pupitar was now just hovering alongside Brock as they walked to the gym. He wanted to stay out of the ball for a bit to let the rare candy do its thing.

"Well… Here goes nothing. I hope they aren't assholes," Ash muttered as he walked inside. Right away he could see a bunch of thug-like dressed people who seem like they're the all muscle and no brain type of person.

"Hello? I'd like to challenge the gym." Ash asked to a nearby person. The person turned around and spotted the Pikachu and Meowth.

He burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Boss! Get over here, we got a new kid that wants to be beaten!"

Lt. Surge walked up to them with a raised eyebrow. A Pikachu and a Meowth? Wait, there's also a Vulpix and a Pupitar. Those ain't so bad.

"Well kid, I'm Surge. You're the challenger?" He asked Ash to be sure. Ash simply nodded as his maroon eyes stared up at Surge with determination. Surge had to admit, it was pretty intimidating but he began laughing in interest. A kid that has a Pikachu and a Meowth, he'll see how it goes.

"The name's Ash. Don't insult my Pikachu though," Ash warned as Pikachu looked up at Surge. That was the moment Surge could see inside of that Pikachu's eyes.

It's said that a person can see the other's soul through their eyes.

Surge now saw what Pikachu was. A storm. His entire experience with the storms, the power of lightning. That's not a normal Pikachu in the slightest.

"I see." Surge's voice changed as he became serious. This challenger isn't a nobody, not in the slightest.

"Let's do this then," Ash offered his hand to shake Surge's. Surge did the same before he could _feel_ that kid's grip. Ash used some strength behind it and showed that he definitely was not some weak little kid and a fair warning to not try to assume so next.

Walking ahead of Surge, Ash went to the battling area.

Back there, Surge let out a whistle. "That's one scary kid," He turned to Brock who had a knowing smile.

"Give him a four badge challenge. Raichu has to stay though," Brock offered the idea and Surge nodded. That sounded good for that experienced boy.

Walking after Ash they entered the battle area and all spectator seats were taken by either trainers within the gym or newcomers to see another loss or gain experience out of that battle.

Ash stood on the opposite side of Surge as he looked at his opponent.

 **"The battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Lt. Surge of Vermillion City will now commence! Choose your Pokémon!"**

Ash threw out Glacia's pokéball. Surge did the same for his.

Out of it came a Shiny Amaura against an Electabuzz.

"Well, well… This kid isn't to be underestimated. Let's see how we'll manage against this," Surge muttered as he recognized the fossil pokémon. How couldn't he? They're beyond endangered and rare. Only seven of its entire evolution tree so far.

"Electabuzz! Start off with Low Kick!" He ordered his Electric-type who nodded and rushed towards the Amaura. Glacia looked at the electric type with fierce eyes before closing them and jumping up at the right timing.

"Body slam," Ash simply ordered as the full weight of 25 kilograms, 2 times gravity and the move damage fell onto the Electabuzz who tried to kick low. It hit the Electabuzz straight on and left the floor frozen somewhat before the Amaura jumped back and used Light Screen to lessen moves such as Thunderbolt's damage.

Electabuzz however, wasn't a four badge pokémon for nothing. He jumped up and fired an impressive thunderbolt at the Amaura who then used multiple Rock Throws to lessen the power of the thunderbolt.

Surge was impressed. The boy didn't have to command at times and the Amaura has some pretty impressive power. His gym symbolizes pure power and it seems this kid is on the right way.

"Electabuzz! Brick Break!" Electabuzz now fell downwards to the Amaura who stood still. Ash was also calm as he looked at the move. If it hit, Light Screen would be broken.

"Mist and dodge." The Amaura nodded and began to glow before the field became misty and only shadows were seen. That was until multiple shadows of Amaura were seen in the mist and Electabuzz became confused as to which is which.

The Amaura didn't need to know what to do next. She opened her mouth and used Powder Snow in order to gradually lower Electabuzz's temperature like a silent predator.

Surge was even more shocked now. Three badge challengers often use offensive moves and ignore moves such as Mist and Double Team, but this kid makes sure to teach his pokémon that… Impressive.

"Electabuzz! Shockwave!" Electabuzz roared in rage as a giant shockwave of electric energy was blasted all around him. Indiscriminate, but it didn't reach any spectator nor did it reach Ash or Surge. They were in a protected field made by league Kadabra and Alakazam.

Surge hires them for this reason.

Glacia let out a cry of pain before growling and letting out a roar of her own. Soon enough, the entire battle field began to freeze up and a large blizzard of snow came out of her mouth with the roar. It turned the entire battlefield into a snow area. That was, until she used Icy Breath to solidify the ground where Electabuzz was stuck.

Now the mist ended and they could see an Amaura who had signs of paralysis. Electabuzz in turn was also partially frozen.

"Hey Surge!" Ash called out to the gym leader who looked at Ash now.

"What is it, kid?"

"Your gym is about power… Let me show you power. Glacia, you know what move you're practicing. Give him a taste of a half developed one."

Glacia opened her jaws before an orange light came in front of her mouth.

Surge's eyes opened wide. "Electabuzz! Hyper beam!" Electabuzz also did the same.

However, Glacia's orange beam became a white colour and soon enough much larger than before.

Both Amaura and Electabuzz fired their respective hyper beams at each other. While Glacia's hyper beam is not perfected, the Electabuzz had less time to charge. Refrigerate also increased Glacia's hyper beam's power and so the result was obvious.

The white beam soon began to overpower the orange one and blasted the Electabuzz into a wall, ending the first battle in Ash's win.

 **"Winner of the first battle, Ash Ketchum and his Amaura!"**

Surge was surprised but then he laughed in glee. Now that was power! He was thrilled at the sight of that Amaura, that little thing had some serious bite!

Heck, he wondered why this Amaura hadn't evolved yet. Level-wise if one would scan her, she'd definitely be around level 45. That's seventh gym level! The only reason she can't battle there yet is because her body is weakened thanks to the fossilization and the fact she has yet to evolve!

"Return, Glacia. It's Pi's turn." Ash called out to his Amaura who nodded. Running back to her trainer, the field got molten and soon the water was evaporated thanks to some flamethrowers of a Magmortar. It seems they held some powerful pokémon there for these reasons.

Surge smiled widely. This kid's impressive! He'll give him a real challenge then!

Ash offhandedly gave the Amaura a Cheri Berry which recovered the paralysis status of her and she began to lay down next to her trainer intent on watching the battle of Pikachu.

"Alright Pi. Let's show him what a Pikachu can do through hard work."

" _Let's do this! I'll show him a piece of fine Electric power!_ "

Pikachu rushed up to the field and began to spark all around, not just the pouches. That's a definite signs of having a lot of power for a Pikachu.

"Alright kid! Let's see your Pikachu handle my Raichu! Come out partner!" He threw his pokéball into the field and a powerful looking Raichu came out of it. It folded its arms looking at the Pikachu with disdain as if saying 'This ain't even a challenge'.

That was something he shouldn't have done. There's a reason Pikachu still stood above the Amaura and other pokémon of Ash.

Ash grinned widely at seeing his Pikachu's attitude change. He became a lot calmer. Calm rage. Something not many pokémon have but when they do, they're quite feared. Rage can fuel one's power and being calm meant that he can focus.

 **"Let the battle between Ash's Pikachu and Lt. Surge's Raichu, begin!"**

Pikachu instantly went for agility and began to dash around the field. Speeding up more and more, the Pokémon was making it harder for the Raichu to follow him.

Even Surge had to blink at the speed. That's some serious speed there… But Raichu can hit more than just a target.

"Give him a real shocker! Shockwave!" Raichu roared out and a giant shockwave was seen. This one far overpowered the Electabuzz's and it hit the Pikachu straight on causing an explosion.

That was the first mistake.

Pikachu was running around and absorbed the electricity, making it his own and powering himself up. Still running with Agility, he soon jumped up and a giant ball of electricity appeared above his tail. Far larger than Ash is tall.

Slamming it down, the attack was like a lightningbolt and hit the Raichu straight on causing it to blast straight into the barrier that previously kept the smoke from reaching the spectators.

Pikachu wasn't satisfied with just that though. No. This was personal. He ran straight up to the Raichu and charged a Brick Break and slammed it into the larger mouse, hitting it into the air.

Pikachu then jumped upwards and appeared above the Raichu, charging an iron tail. Pikachu twisted his body before slamming the blunt iron tail downwards, hitting the Raichu's back and straight into the ground which caused a large crater to appear in the battlefield before jumping back and then he was still ready for combat.

Surge remained silent in awe. That Pikachu's speed is one thing. That Electro Ball is another thing. That Brick Break did the trick, but that Iron Tail sold it.

Raichu stood up slowly, feeling a lot of pain before Surge called the match. No need to injure Raichu even further… That Pikachu is a beast. That much is clear.

That is the result of sparring with a Royal Fletchinder, a very fast Frogadier and a Meowth that can use quick attack. Pikachu was Ash's fastest pokémon on land, no questions asked. Pikachu also trained much longer than the others.

And this time, Pikachu did not only have small platforms to use in order to battle.

This was Pikachu's homefield. No trees, nothing. Something he can go all out in.

Ash smirked as he called Pikachu back. The Pikachu happily jumped onto his shoulder as Surge returned his heavily damaged Raichu.

"Well Ash… That was something I wouldn't like to face again. I heard some rumors about a powerful Pikachu from Cerulean City's gym, but I thought they were pansies and complained about it… Seems like I need to take them seriously. You have done two things. You have beaten me and also cleared the Gym's goal of teaching a trainer overwhelming power. You trained hard and did not evolve your pokémon like most would. Actually, my idea was to beat you and tell you to evolve that Pikachu but… I'm scared what may come out of it."

Ash laughed loudly at that. That's Pikachu alright. Amaura seemed amazed at the speed she had seen. Pikachu was already becoming much stronger and getting closer and closer to its peak speed.

Well, the peak he had for now…

 **"Challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town has won the battle against Lt. Surge of Vermillion City!"**

This made all the spectators cheer wildly. They hadn't seen such a beautiful, rare pokémon before and seeing such a powerhouse of a Pikachu inspired many to train much harder.

This was an awesome fight. That was something many would think in their hearts and Lt. Surge learnt something from it as well. Do not underestimate people.

"Here's your badge Ash. I hope you wear it with pride… and also, here is my number. Contact me for a rematch sometime. I will use my real team then." Surge offered with a giant grin. This kid was a beast! Heck, he should send a videorecording of it to Lance and boast about electric types.

"Thank you, Surge." Ash accepted it and put it in his red and black badge case. Of course, he showed the badges to Pikachu, Meowth and Glacia first to let them see what they had earned so far. Glacia felt pride within her that she helped her trainer reach this stage.

"Now kid... " Surge began as he pulled two tickets out of his back pocket. "I thought I'd give this to some winners and you definitely deserve it. Have a nice trip on SS Anne and join the tournament for some great training. There are many shops that sell rare items from all around the world and some pokémon are being sold as well. Perhaps it may interest you. Consider this an apology for insulting your Pikachu too."

Pikachu cheered at that. He can join a tournament! Those are awesome, if his experience at the Oak Ranch was anything to go by!

Glacia seemed interested as well. She'll meet new pokémon and perhaps make new friends. Ash did say they have a lot of Gyarados as friends.

* * *

"So Ash. We're going to SS Anne eh?" Brock asked his friend who nodded in return. It sounded like a nice idea to go on a small break, train pokémon in peace, meet some friendly Gyarados, participate in a tournament that starts in two days.

"Yep. Got everything you need?" He asked his friend who nodded. The both of them left the pokémon center where Ash healed Pikachu and Glacia despite their opinion of not needing it. He wanted them in top shape after such a battle.

Besides, he cares about them. No need to have any unnecessary pain.

"I hope Pupitar will evolve soon. The tournament sounds like a nice idea for such a thing," Brock commented offhandedly. If Ash was drinking something, he'd have a spit take now.

He did _not_ want to fight a Tyranitar. Unless one of his pokémon reach their final evolution.

Even then, he did not want to battle a _pseudo legendary pokémon_. At least, not yet.

Ash just walked faster to ignore what Brock said. Behind him, Brock had to hide a large grin. Teasing Ash was so much fun…

The two reached the entrance towards SS Anne which waited for a week before sailing off. Flashing their tickets, they gained entrance and had neighbour rooms which is a pleasant surprise.

"So… Let's drop off our bags and see if there's anything interesting to buy first. I'd reckon the shops are open." Ash offered Brock the idea and he agreed.

Onix was close to mastering Iron Head. It's time to buy a metal coat, as well as an eviolite.

Ash was just thinking of looking around for any useful items. Perhaps a Light Stone to surprise Brock with since they've been traveling for nearly a month together now and Roselia might love the idea. He'd also purchase some new clothes and a few smaller items such as gifts for his mother, Leaf, Gary and Professor Oak.

The two left their bags behind - obviously keeping their pokémon with them - and went towards the shopping area. It was pretty busy for such an early sale and the two parted ways after promising to go to the dining area at 5 P.M.

Ash went to buy the smaller gifts for his friends and family first. He found a few great gifts. A special set of equipment to make a Haiku for the professor with multiple designs, a pair of goggles for Gary in case he enters desert areas in the future, a necklace with a moon on it for Leaf and a pair of glass figurines made to resemble Latias and Latios for his mother. He quickly item transferred them to the intended person.

After that, he purchased a Light Stone, a Fire Stone, an Eviolite and a Metal Coat in case he captures a pokémon that requires them. The eviolite is for Amaura until she wants to evolve. The fire stone can be for Vulpix if Brock wants to evolve her in the future and the same counts for the Light stone.

After that he bought a new pair of gloves that can attract pokéballs after they've been thrown so they return to the trainer. Always useful in case his throwing technique fails him.

"Huh? Isn't that James, Pikachu?" He asked his starter who perked up and spotted a familiar hair color. He was currently looking at a giant Magikarp.

"Well well customer! This mighty Magikarp is extremely powerful and a one-of-a-kind! Just between you and me, that pokéball is also pure gold! Right now you can buy both for just 1000 Pokédollars!" The salesman _cough_ con _cough_ told James who was interested and pair for it.

That was when Ash met up with him.

"Hey James. Purchased a Magikarp I see?" He asked as he looked at the Magikarp and the fake golden ball.

"Oh hey Ash! Yeah, the salesman said this ball is pure gold and that the Magikarp is really powerful.

Ash blinked a few times before sighing and pulling James with him to his room. He needed to have a serious chat in case something goes wrong there. James is a nice guy outside of the team rocket activities so he'll tell him.

* * *

They reached Ash's room soon enough and Ash made James take a seat at the table. The room also had a large aquarium so he called out the new, now happy, Magikarp who instantly began swimming around and James took some of the water-type pokéchow and dumped it into the aquarium.

Ash didn't mind in the slightest.

"James. That Magikarp will indeed become a beast," Ash started and James simply beamed in happiness.

"However." Ash began and his eyes turned fierce as he looked at James.

James looked half terrified half curious at Ash now. That boy has one intimidating look if he wants to! What's wrong with the Magikarp?!

"Magikarp right now is not strong. You need patience for it to evolve and give it a lot of love. I will tell you now that a Magikarp evolves into a Gyarados," Inner-James was running around, cheering, "but it takes a while. I can see that this Magikarp is close to evolution and there's another point I need to make here."

He grasped one of his cherish ball and called out his giant Fletchinder who remained still on the floor, looking at the giant Magikarp.

"These pokémon have a special quality. They're called 'Royal Species' simply because they are much, much larger and far stronger. They're not invincible, not at all, but they are true beasts of their species. Your Magikarp is one, but you need to make sure you take the right care. Do not discard him for another pokémon, love him no matter if he is a Magikarp or a Gyarados. Train him to the best you can. That way, you will have a powerful partner that will never leave you behind. Understood?" He spoke seriously to James who now understood why.

Magikarp is weak in the beginning, however they become a Gyarados after the right training. Discarding him now is a stupid option because the Magikarp will definitely be enraged, plus this Magikarp is a royal one. Something very rare, if what Ash's eyes are telling him.

James nodded seriously as he stood up and walked to the Magikarp.

"Magikarp," James called out to the fish who swam up to him curiously.

"Will you be my pokémon? I understand if you wish to be released in case you heard our conversation. It's true I might be greedy because you're special and that you can evolve into a Gyarados, which is why I offer you this."

Magikarp's eyes became wide. That took a lot to admit. He wasn't even mad at his trainer for saying so. To be honest, he expected to be bought and become a plate of dinner at one point with that conman but it seems he now had a really good trainer.

" _I'd love to be your pokémon. It's true that you may be a greedy man for wanting me to evolve, but every Magikarp desires to evolve himself. I am indeed special and right now, only because you admitted and offered to even release me, I will be your pokémon forever. You have earned my respect by doing this, trainer. May I ask what is your name, and in case you wish, what you will name me?_ "

Ash translated everything the Magikarp said and James' eyes became misty as he looked at the fish. He was definitely happy that he even got a friend out of this. Now that he had Growlie, his Growlithe, Weezing and Carnivine he has been training for a while now to get stronger. Magikarp, or a future Gyarados, will definitely help out a lot.

"My name is James Whiterose. If you want a name, I'd say Leviathan for when you evolve into a Gyarados. What do you think of that? Also, nice to meet you. I'm very happy you wish to be my pokémon, maybe my friend too." His voice carried the happiness he had.

Magikarp was surprised at his actions but guessed that the man may not have a lot of friends. Seeing Ash translate, he looked back at James.

" _Leviathan is acceptable. I wouldn't mind becoming your friend if you will be mine. Promise to never release me and keep me with you forever and I'll stay with you until the very end._ "

Ash translated it with a large smile. It seems they got along well.

Falcon perked up soon enough as the bird smirked with his beak. " _Ash? I feel like my time for evolution is also coming near. If you must know, both Frogadier and I feel like we can. We're waiting for your permission. I waited until we had some time to rest to tell you._ "

Ash turned to his second pokémon before smiling and nodding in understanding. Glacia herself was also close but she needed a little more time to rest and get all of her strength back that she had before.

Meowth stayed silent in the pokéball, watching everything occur. He was happy that his friend left Team Rocket because he didn't see a single R on James' body.

"Return for now, Levi. I'll train you until you evolve into a Gyarados before we leave the waters. I want to be sure that you can travel with me on both land and sea, as well as battle with me." James returned the Magikarp and cleaned the pokéball. Like his silent heart suspected, it was painted but he was happy with his choice. He now had a friend in the shape of a royal Magikarp.

"Ash, thank you for translating and telling me. To be honest, I was stupidly believing it all and might have released Magikarp if he failed… I'm still getting used to being a trainer so I might make such a mistake in anger. Being with Team Rocket in the past didn't really help."

Ash nodded as he offered a kind smile. He returned Falcon with the promise to let him out later and looked into James's eyes. His usual intimidating maroon became kinder. "Just take care of your pokémon. Love them like you love your family. They will in return, do the same and become far stronger than any other. Of course, still weaker than mine." Ash teased with a wink.

"Ha! I'd love to see you try! I'll do the gym challenge in Johto when you start so we'll see who is better."

Ash showed a grin as he held out his fist. The older man bumped it with a smirk on his face.

Both of them left the room. One satisfied with a purchase of a new friend and pokémon, the other glad to have a new friend and rival.

* * *

"Hey Ash! I bought some cool stuff man. They have a lot of medic equipment from other regions so I bought a few things I might need on the road." Brock called out to his friend who was sitting at a table, drinking some coffee while reading a paper. Next to him was a Pikachu and a Meowth both with cups of tea.

"Hey Brock. Welcome back. I met James by the way, he bought a Royal Species Magikarp." Better deliver the news fast before mt. Brock erupts.

"I see… Glad to know he's doing well. I bought a Metal Coat and an Eviolite by the way. I was lucky because they're the last they had."

Ash chuckled as he pulled out two stones from his pockets. He handed them over to Brock who looked at them in surprise.

"One of them is a Light Stone. They're used to evolve a Roselia into a Roserade. The other one you already know."

Brock blinked back some tears as he pulled out a gift for Ash as well. It was a feather, a silver wing to be precise.

"This Ash, is a special feather I bought. I thought it would match the golden-rainbow one on your necklace. It was pretty expensive because it looked like it was made of silver."

Ash stared at it for a while before laughing softly. "Brock, that's a feather that belonged to Lugia. You can see it resonate with the rainbow one."

Brock blinked a few times as he stared at the Rainbow Wing and the Silver Wing before chuckling. He handed it to Ash who gladly put it on his necklace. Now the crystal was in the middle, on the left was the Rainbow and on the right was the Silver.

"Thanks Brock. I hope we'll have an amazing journey ahead of us." Ash held out his hand to Brock, who repeated the words and shook it.

* * *

Like that, the two spent the two days training their pokémon and James occassionally joined in. That's where Ash offered a lot of pointers to train his pokémon.

James was now teaching his pokémon moves. Growlie was learning Crunch, Carnivine was learning Power Whip, Weezing was learning Flamethrower and Magikarp was learning Bounce because a Gyarados can no longer do so.

The group would've attracted tons of attention if they didn't train in closed off areas in order to hide their pokémon but many could still see a giant Fletchinder fly around the ship at times. Heck, they even spotted a Gyarados poke out of the water and look around before moving to a part of the ship where it seemed to make a few roars and then leaving.

It was basically telling Ash about the storm and that the group of Gyarados that he trained will be ready to save them in case something goes wrong.

SS Anne is said to be unsinkable. Well, put a storm or a glacier in the way and down it goes.

Ash obviously relayed the news to his friends who accepted it and the crew but the crew just said they'll be fine.

Well, we'll see how this goes. Ash was not intending to get stuck on the ocean. No thank you, sir.

But now it is time to start the tournament. There are tons of trainers there, each intending to win the main prize which is a set of all evolutionary items. That means stones, fangs, claws, coats… all of it. The second prize is a stack of ultra balls and the third prize is two boxes worth of Full Restores.

Both Ash and Brock entered when they heard that. No matter who wins, one _must_ get first place.

Luckily, only 32 people joined the game. That means that it's a fairly short tournament that can end in a day. Each trainer may only choose one of their team's pokémon per battle. They can obviously switch.

So Ash did what they said. He had five battles, all up to the finals.

His first battle was against a Doduo. He used Meowth and a Water Pulse followed by a Thunderbolt finished the battle.

His second battle was against a Charmeleon. He used Frogadier because that Charmeleon looked quite powerful and only won by the slightest margins. He silently thanked Arceus for that. That Charmeleon was definitely near evolution.

His third battle was against a Tauros which he took on with Pikachu. Pikachu easily won that with a very powerful thunder attack that impressed a lot of the crowd. _As well as a certain red headed woman._

The fourth battle he used Meowth again simply because Meowth could win this one. It was against another Meowth. Both fought well, but Ash's Meowth won the battle by using Feint Attack and taking to the shadows. Sometimes those who play 'unfair' are the ones who can be considered real trainers.

His fifth battle… Well, it went as you can see.

"Hello Brock." Ash spoke from his spot as Brock stood on the opposite with a grin. He won them all as well. Definitely proud of doing so if his grin was anything to go by.

Chuckling, he simply called out his Pupitar who was ready for battle. Ash called out Hermit. He wouldn't lose so easily!

Both Pokémon let out a roar as they charged. Pupitar went straight for an Iron Head whereas Hermit was using Aqua Jet to avoid it at the last second and hitting the Pupitar in the back.

Both pokémon soon faced each other again as Frogadier began using Ice Punch and Pupitar was using Trash. Both pokémon were hitting each other heavily… until the following happened.

Pupitar began to glow and Ash's worst fear happened.

Hermit began to glow and Brock had to wince at the timing.

Now there stood a giant, green pseudo-legendary pokémon called Tyranitar against the water start of Kalos, Greninja.

Greninja instantly went into action using Water Shuriken and threw them at Tyranitar's head. Tyranitar however dodged them with his newly gained flexibility and ran towards the Greninja with a Brick Break.

 **Protean** makes Greninja one of the best possible choices here. Now Greninja used Bounce and jumped upwards, becoming a flying type and used the ceiling to jump downwards with an aqua jet to the Tyranitar. The Brick Break that nicked him didn't have much effect.

Ash, like expected, did not say a thing. He knew this match may go either way. Greninja was used to his body and Tyranitar wasn't yet. That's because of the evolution between Pupitar and Tyranitar being like a Metapod and a Butterfree. Butterfree may be able to fly right away, but not like a more experienced one.

Tyranitar decided to surprise all of them though. Seeing Greninja come at him with Aqua Jet and having experience battling him as a Pupitar he used a move he unlocked at evolution. Giga Impact.

He began to glow a powerful orange as he jumped straight into the Aqua Jetting Greninja and both hit each other. Tyranitar, with his new mass and power against Greninja who used speed to power up the attack and Protean to make sure his typing was the exact same as the move.

Tyranitar's Giga Impact wasn't perfect. Not in the slightest. That is why this round, Greninja won and Tyranitar was blasted onto the floor, roaring in pain before losing the battle.

Greninja was obviously extremely tired and turned to his trainer, standing at full height. Ash nodded and held out his fist, which the Greninja pressed against with a fist of his own before being returned. No words needed to be said. It was perfect.

Brock smiled happily at the sight of Tyranitar and walked up to his new pokémon. He used a quick full restore to make sure Tyranitar was alright and let him sit up before looking at him. Brock nodded with a pleased smile and Tyranitar did the same.

 _They finally evolved to their final evolution. Now Tyranitar can finally become one of the strongest pokémon. Even if he lost now, he'll win next time._

* * *

The tournament rewards were instantly inside of their bags to prevent anyone from peeking or stealing them. They now carried the bags on themselves as they were eating some small snacks on the ship.

Currently, there was a party going on because the tournament finished. Of course they were now all trying to trade pokémon with either Ash because of rarity or Brock because of Tyranitar. Obviously, all of them were refused because they were plain ridiculous and they won't give away their pokémon.

That was also the time Team Rocket decided to strike with Jessie as leader.

Bombs exploded everywhere on the ship in order to suppress the masses. The ship was being shaken by the storm as they went. Team Rocket members were now actively trying to force children and all to hand over their pokémon. Jessie was obviously rushing to Ash to grab his pokémon alongside those of Brock.

That was the stupidest idea that Team Rocket ever had.

Ash and Brock threw all their pokéballs into the air. There was a giant Fletchinder which was also a shiny, a Greninja who was now healed up, a Meowth who was glaring at Jessie and a shiny Amaura who glared at the members. Brock's pokémon weren't much better. A very angry Tyranitar stood in front of everyone. A heavy Onix protected his trainer and his trainer's friend. A Graveler was growling. An angry looking Roselia was there alongside with a Vulpix who's eyes began to glow purple in order to use Extrasensory.

That was the start of the madness as well as Team Rocket epically failing.

Attacks were blasted at Team Rocket, not caring whether they have pokémon to protect them or not. Both Ash and Brock didn't have the slightest mercy because they spotted something that shouldn't have happened. One of the members stabbed a little girl. That was all they needed for confirmation.

Ash's aura was agitated and began calling upon the Gyarados, telling them to come here and help them out. The Ship was blasted around as many passengers began to escape. Only Ash and Brock stayed behind. James was there too, using Growlie to protect his own pokémon now that he quit.

Countless men were heavily wounded thanks to strong attacks of pokémon. The amount of Zubat and other low ranking pokémon couldn't even be counted and Jessie was completely blasted off the ship. That was soon followed by the rest when Ash's Fletchinder used Whirlwind to blast all the possible corpses, pokémon and other things off the ship without any regret.

You do not touch children. You do not hurt children. You _definitely_ do not piss off powerful trainers.

Sadly, nature does not like them… and so came a giant wave of water.

Both Ash and Brock were in a rush as they returned their pokémon. James did the same and they all quickly curled up for impact. This wasn't a good idea.

 **Swooooooooooooooooooooooosh!**

The heavy metal bending under the pressure of the giant wave, the ship turning over and slowly sinking… Those within the ship could not remember anything. They were blasted unconcious, falling into the depths of the ocean.

* * *

Hours passed since and that's when Ash finally woke up with a loud groan. Seeing that they were still alive he turned to Brock and found him with a small pool of blood under his head. Ash, seeing that, was obviously on his task right away and used a bastardized Heal Pulse to recover the wound and swiftly wrapped it up with bandages he had in his bag.

That's also the moment Brock woke up with a groan, holding his head that had a massive headache.

"Ash? What happened?" He asked in a tired, pained voice.

Ash looked around to see everything was a mess, but he could see an unharmed James who was lucky enough to land on pillows of the room. _Talk about luck he'd like to have…_

James groaned and woke up as well, the trio now finally aware that they're in the ship… and that everything was upside down or simply a complete mess.

James summed it up in perfect words.

"Well, shit."

* * *

The group of three spent a while now - after confirming that they're okay to their pokémon - to look around the ship to see if there's anyone else. They only found a few pokéballs that had R's on them and immediately refused to even go near them.

What if some stupid Ekans decides to use Acid and makes a hole? They'll drown, no questions asked. Even now they're lucky there's enough oxygen.

The group found out that there was at least a working communication station and Ash decided to go first. First thing he does? Call Lance.

" _Ash! I heard the SS Anne sunk! What the heck is this number then?!"_ A very panicked voice reached their ears as the champion as well as friend of Ash shouted his worries.

"We did sink, Lance. We're the only ones on the ship. We've confirmed that much. There are a few Team Rocket pokéballs but we're making sure not to go near them so there's no battles. We don't have a lot of time though." Ash was calm, far too calm. He needed to be in this case or they won't make it out.

" _What?! You're… oh dear. This is pretty bad. We didn't hear that Team Rocket was inside of it.._ " Lance was walking around. He was obviously called on his XTransceiver.

Ash simply waited for Lance's reply.

" _Ash. I'll personally get there after we find the coordinates. If, in some case of luck, you find a way up call me. I know you have a water type so try your best. I trust your decisions._ "

Ash nodded as the call ended in a hurry. Lance was obviously going to contact the G-men for both Team Rocket as well as the rescue.

Actually, Ash began to chuckle a little now that he thought of something funny.

"What's so funny, Ash?" James asked in a groggy voice. Brock grunted slightly as if agreeing with that.

"Well… I was imagining the faces of those who escaped and met the Gyarados that I asked to help us in case something goes wrong. They'll definitely scream for their lives until they notice the Gyarados are bringing them to safety."

James and Brock both chuckled now. They could definitely imagine that mass panic.

"Anyway. We need to get as high as possible and see if there's an exit. That's when we can get out."

Both older teens nodded as they went on their adventure inside of the ship.

* * *

Something woke up thanks to a massive screeching sound that metal made upon contact.

That something was annoyed yet intrigued because it could feel something.

Something powerful, something that is human. But what is that thing that gives off such power?

The something that woke up left its resting spot in order to confirm what it is and whether it is a threat or not.

Perhaps, it might save what that thing is. In a manner of curiosity. It knew that there was a storm, for it knew whenever one occurred.

However, it knew that that storm was not natural by any means.

What does that mean?

* * *

Ash, Brock and James still kept their pokémon in their respective pokéballs. Only James called out his Magikarp to bring them to other sides of the ship when he spotted a massive leak and the Magikarp eagerly helped his new trainer who was in trouble.

In a way, Magikarp was now seeing the need to evolve… It needs to be much stronger to help his trainer.

But he can't evolve yet. Not in this ship. Not until they're out.

Brock and Ash were both panting a little as there was a lower amount of oxygen the higher they go. That was until they finally reached the top, or well, bottom of the ship.

Ash looked at the group whilst trying to at least get some air. "I can use Fletchinder's flamethrower to heat up this part. The cold water and pressure on the other side will break the steel of the ship and create a hole. Does that work for you guys?"

Both James and Brock looked at each other before turning to Ash.

"We need to swim up, Ash. We're quite deep… I'll tag with James because his Magikarp can definitely carry us. I'm not sure if Greninja can handle two people."

Ash nodded with slight irritation. This is troubling because they didn't have three water type pokémon. It would be amazing if there's another one.

"Well… Let's go. The longer we wait, the more in danger we are. The ship might fall deeper and then we can't escape in the slightest because of the water pressure."

Brock and James nodded at that. They can't survive deeper than they are.

"Falcon!" Ash called his Fletchinder who flew carefully in the air. "Use flamethrower above us to create a hole. Hermit!" He called out Greninja who stood ready to swim. Even if he wasn't that practiced with swimming yet, he can at least do his best to get his trainer up. His trainer's life depended on it! "You know what to do." He spoke to his water type who nodded.

Flamethrower met steel and it began to glow until it was starting to crack. Soon enough, the metal bent inwards as water began to find its way inside. Fletchinder was making the hole larger and larger to make sure that they can all get out and James called out Leviathan. The Magikarp nodded, knowing what to do as both Brock and James began to hold onto him. Before Falcon could get wet, Ash returned him.

Nodding together with Hermit, he held onto the Ninja Pokémon as it jumped through the hole and tried its best to swim. Greninja, unlike other water types, does not have natural skill in swimming and so only had small practice sessions as a Froakie when there was a small amount of peace in between trainers trying to capture him.

Leviathan easily passed him as he began to glow, becoming a massive Gyarados. Hermit saw that as a chance as he held onto its tail instead of swimming because the Gyarados will be much faster…

But the heavy movement shook Ash off of Hermit who turned around in shock, letting out a cry underwater. Nobody heard it because of the massive Gyarados roaring as it swam upwards to save the humans and its trainer… Leaving behind Ash as he was slowly falling down.

 _'So… This is it,_ ' Ash thought as he looked down with a small smile. _'This is how my journey ends?_ '

A massive shadow was approaching Ash as it stared at the human falling down. It wouldn't act for now.

' _I… I still have my pokémon with me. I can't give up… I WON'T GIVE UP!_ ' Feeling the determination to at least save his pokémon, his friends, his family… He tried to swim up.

Blue aura began to surround him as he tried his best to swim upwards. He couldn't hold his breath for much longer… he definitely won't reach it easily, but he'll be damned if he doesn't try. If anything, he might be able to call out Pikachu and the others and make them at least appear higher than the depth he was in now.

The shadow was looking interested. It didn't move so far, but the human in front of it… It never gave up.

It tried to save something. The aura told the creature as much.

That was until the being spotted the boy letting out his last breath… the last chance to survive.

Ash slowly turned around as he fell down. ' _I'm… sorry, guys…_ '

What he saw next was a dark shadow with glowing, red markings.

* * *

Gyarados eventually managed to get up as both Brock and James gasped for air. Hermit instantly rushed up to the two and began crying for help, pointing down. Ash fell down. He couldn't get there faster than Gyarados.

Both James and Brock looked at each other in shock before looking down. James and Brock jumped off as they held onto Greninja.

"Leviathan! Go down and get Ash, quickly! He can't hold on long!"

The Gyarados roared as it used all of its new strength to dive down… until it spotted a shadow with red markings.

That shadow became bigger... bigger… even bigger… until the entire group, alongside the gigantic Gyarados was launched into the air and landed on top of a blue colored hide with red markings. The Greninja, however, spotted his trainer on top of it and instantly rushed to him without any hesitation. Brock saw what happened as he looked at Ash being down, not breathing.

"ASH!" Brock rushed to his friend as he quickly began to push down on his chest, causing water to gush out of Ash's lungs and out of his mouth.

Brock kept repeating it as well as giving CPR until a heartbeat began to appear and soon enough, Ash began coughing out what little water was left as he took a deep, heavy breath. He kept doing this as he looked around him.

"W-where.. am I?" His voice was hoarse and it hurt, but he was definitely still alive.

Hermit couldn't take it anymore. It instantly wrapped its arms around its trainer due to worry.

Ash captured him in Viridian Forest and trained alongside him like a friend, like a brother. When he ran, Ash ran. They both shared a long month together and always had fun.

Hermit never had such a thing happen with pokémon in Viridian. Ash was the one who gave him a true family. Seeing him safe again, the Greninja let out happy cries as it was worried.

 ** _"Chosen…_** **"** an ancient voice reached their ears. Not just Ash and the pokémon, but also Brock and James. They all stiffened as they heard this. **_"I have seen your struggles and felt your aura, only trying to do your best not to save yourself but your friends. It has awakened something in me that I had long forgotten after my battles with my counterpart…"_**

Ash could see the red marking glow before becoming blue-ish and then white and the body of the creature they were on top of became bigger and bigger. The creature became at least double its size, carrying the Gyarados like it was nothing.

 ** _"To feel such pure innocence again… I shall save you and your friends and bring you to safety. I have felt the desire to help at seeing you try so hard for your friends and not yourself. I, who has slept for countless years to rest, have awakened once more but for some reason I do not feel the desire to battle my counterpart… May it be your fault? Can it be that you have done this? Is it because you desired to help that my awakening occurred?"_** The ancient voice spoke with confusion. It was definitely feeling something it had not for a long, long time.

 ** _"I am Kyogre, the personification of the Sea. I am what desires to turn land into water, but now… I feel like there is balance. I feel like there is enough of both. Can it be that I missed a lot during my rest?"_** Kyogre asked the ones who now rode on top of it. No, this was not Kyogre. This was Primal Kyogre.

Ash, who received some small medicine from Brock swallowed it and his throat began to feel better so he could speak. It's a good thing all trainer bags are waterproof. Nothing got wet.

"I… I think it is because of the battles the other Kyogre and Groudon have held. I believe that there is another of you in Hoenn. The battles, which I researched, were held even a decade ago changed the world. Now there is a perfect mixture of both but…" Ash coughed a bit before trying to speak again. He had to answer or else they might be left behind. Even if the Gyarados can carry them, it may still attract hostile pokémon on its own. "I believe there are still evil organisations of humans that go after you."

 ** _"Organisations of humans? Go after the one of the Sea? What does that mean?"_**

"It means that they want to turn the world into an ocean, only for those who rule in the water to survive." Ash tried to explain to Kyogre, who was now far more rational than when meeting Groudon for battle.

 ** _"I understand… It was something I, too, desired. But seeing you, a human, trying his hardest to survive in the sea I am confused as to whether I still do or not. I may need time for myself to search these answers…"_** Primal Kyogre remained silent after that as Ash tried to recover the best he could. They were being led by the Kyogre as it swam towards… a humongous, even larger than Kyogre, Tentacruel? It was also attacking a city.

Primal Kyogre felt like this may bring some answers. It could feel the heart of of the Tentacruel, immediately understanding what was going on. After all, this Tentacruel is a being of the Sea…

 ** _"It appears that humans have angered those of the sea. I will take you there and help you in this situation. Show me, human of the land, what you will do to help those of the sea. Show me a reason why I should not turn this world into a single ocean."_**

Primal Kyogre's intentions were obvious. This is a test…

Arceus, this was cruel. Ash just survived a sinking boat and was now carried by the Legendary Pokémon of the Sea, only to receive another test… involving a ridiculously large Tentacruel out for blood.

 _The Chosen One has no time to rest, for he must make sure the world remains safe. Ash only now starts to feel that this may occur more often than he would have liked._

* * *

 **Hello everyone! This is another chapter done. As you can see, I tried to change a little of what is happening simply because there is no proper way for Greninja to carry Ash as it swims up so far. Gyarados moves his lower body wildly and while Greninja can hold on, Ash cannot.**

 **So I thought of something. Why not involve a legendary, who may awaken because of Ash? This can be considered a prologue of a future 'movie' that involves Kyogre. Now, Kyogre will test humanity who lives on land through the Chosen. Will Ash succeed, or will he fail?**

 **If he succeeds, will Kyogre change? What about Groudon? This is all a small prologue for the Hoenn adventures in the future. I could have gone with Lugia but… This is my story, my way of doing it. I thought that this was a good choice as to awaken the Kyogre instead of making it rest like it had in the anime and game. They will be awake, seeking answers now that there is balance. Team Magma and Team Aqua seek to disrupt this balance…**

 **It's alllll a prologue of an idea for Hoenn.**

 **So, does anyone feel like I'm pushing it? I did make Pikachu wreck Raichu like it's a Golem against a Ninjask. That's only because Ash trained him well and like I said, 4-5 badge rank. Surge's Raichu is still power based. I also have Ash's Frogadier evolve into Greninja and Brock's Pupitar becomes a Tyranitar. It's all progress… Of course, if some feel that I'm evolving them too fast, tell me so.**

 **Even if they're fully evolved, they are not invincible. Like I saw, Meowth and Pikachu will not evolve. I do have something fun intended for Pikachu but that is for much, much later. Unless you guys want a Raichu?**

 **Also, Glacia is indeed considered 'level 45' so a four/five badge challenge is still decently easy for her. I want to tell you guys that she was fossilized so a lot of her strength is gone. Therefore, she's less powerful than the normal 45 until Ash trains her long enough. Only _then_ will I evolve her into Aurorus… with a special event of course!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it! Criticism is appreciated in case I made a mistake, or wrote something horrible. I need opinions ladies and gentlemen.**


	7. Road of the Chosen One

**What's up guys. I've seen some reviews coming in and so I'll gladly answer them here. Before I do so, I'll write what'll happen (without spoiling too much): Today's chapter will be about the Tentacruel and then we'll skip a few parts. ( He has no Butterfree guys, don't kill me! )**

 **Ghost Maiden Peak will not be done. Simply because this happens 2 years after that and there will be a flashback because of it. When will this flashback happen? Well… I'll keep that to myself. After all of that, Ash and Brock will travel to Lavender Town. _Why?_ Because Lavender Town. Brock's going to capture his sixth pokémon there.**

 **Still, I wonder who suspects Ash's sixth pokémon. I'll drop another hint: It uses the opposite of Aura. The question is: What is Aura? You'll know when you think about it.**

 **So, reviews. I'll write the things down here.**

 **Q: _Will Ash capture Lugia or Kyogre?_**

 **A: Yes, yes he will. When will he? I already hinted that Kyogre is for an event in Hoenn. I'll keep Lugia a secr- ah y'know what. Shamouti. You'll see a unique way of how it goes though. Just so you know: Legendaries won't travel with him without reasons. They will be captured but not used often unless they're of a smaller size… Let's _not_ use a Groudon or Kyogre inside a house. **

**Q: _Is Mega-Evolution going to be in this story?_**

 **A: Why yes, of course! It's just that Ash does not have the pokémon for that _yet_. There's also the fact that I don't want mega evolutions to happen in the first region. That is because a Pokémon needs to have a bond with a trainer or else it'll be like Korrina's Lucario. There's also the fact I want to make the stones a little rarer because the way Ash receives them in my other story is way beyond the norm of luck. **

**Q: _What happened to your other story?_ **

**A: Actually, I kinda intended to drop it and eventually remove it. I felt like it shouldn't have happened the way it did, I focused far too much on the OC and the luck is just retarded. I put some of Naruto's luck on top of what Ash has in this story with gambling and made them rich… I liked the way I used AJ and used it to gain some experience. Consider it a practice story for this. If I want to continue it, I'll mention it but right now I prefer writing this.**

 **TL;DR the answer: Old story was a little too much in the luck categorie. Less character progress. Rushed chapters. Ash isn't as good as he is in here.**

 **By the way… For those who are interested: Any ideas in a traveling partner? If you don't say anything then I'll make either Sabrina or Erika join their journey. Stories and reasoning why will be explained the moment it's written. Why not Misty, May, Dawn, Iris or Serena? 'Cause they're overused by now. There's also the fact they're often written as new trainers whereas I need Ash to grow. Not just as a trainer but as a person. He's 12. Got a kiss from Daisy. Innocent as hell. Has anger issues the moment he sees someone get hurt. I mean, look at the Team Rocket incident where I wrote that they stabbed a girl. They went straight into a Gyarados Ragefest.**

 **Now everyone. Please enjoy the story. If you write reviews with questions, I'll answer them in each new chapter so feel free to ask. Why am I being so unpredictable in chapters? 'Cause it would not be fun if I followed the entire anime's example!**

* * *

 ** _"Chosen One, do as you see fit. Command me in case you seek to battle or order me to make a specific action. I will listen to your commands just this once,"_** Primal Kyogre offered Ash who was currently having a good ol' breakdown.

First he nearly drowns. Now he's brought to an island with a Tentacruel that can match _Titan_ in size. How the hell that happened, Ash had no idea because most _new_ giant pokémon are often spotted and brought to secret reserves where they can live thanks to humans feeding them special food.

Now Kyogre, _Primal_ Kyogre, wants Ash to command him?! Where the hell did the innocent trainer route go?!

"Calm down Ash!" Brock shouted to Ash who jumped up in surprise before looking at Brock.

Brock let out a sigh before smiling slightly to the younger teen, "I trust your actions. Right now lives can be lost because of Tentacruel's rage. You need to act quickly. Did you not do the same in S.S. Anne? Did you not protect children and pokémon?"

Ash blinked a few times before something began to swell inside of his chest. _Something_ that not many trainers have. The _desire_ to simply _protect_. Whether the one who needs it are his friends, family or strangers. To desire to protect everyone.

It was the first time Ash felt something like that inside of him and he turned serious the moment he recognized the feeling.

"Kyogre! Use Surf and wash them all away from the area so we can at least have a conversation before actions need to be taken!"

Primal Kyogre, who intended to test Ash, was surprised once more. It felt the aura of the boy change from being uncertain and scared to determined and having the same desire to protect as before. This time, not just for his friends, but for the innocent and those are strangers to him. However, Kyogre was not a Legendary Pokémon for nothing.

Roaring out loud as if calling the seas to bend for its will a giant wave sent all the Tentacool, Tentacruel and the giant Tentacruel away from the city - making them appear in front of itself.

Now an enraged Tentacruel saw the personification of the Sea. Both stared each other down before Tentacruel spotted the human and nearly intended to slam him off of the Kyogre with the intention to make humans get away.

Ash, however, did actions differently. Calming down even more and entering what can be called 'professional mindset' Ash turned to the Tentacruel and his red eyes began to glow.

Tentacruel didn't say anything, but the tentacle didn't move now.

Ash's lips began to move as aura went through his lungs, through his voice box. It created an effect that would terrify most pokémon - as if there's a legendary pokémon speaking.

" **Tentacruel. You, who can be considered a Titan of the Sea, why are you attacking this human settlement? What have they done to you, to invoke your wrath not just upon the ones that possibly have to do something with it but also the innocent?** "

The Tentracruel bristled before understanding what Ash said and slowly calmed down. This _human_ was different from those in the city. The fact that he was standing upon one of the Legendary Pokémon said enough.

" _We used to live in the ocean nearby. Humans have been hunting our kind so that we will go away. Now, we lost countless of our brethren and not just the old. No, the reason we attack is because humans have crushed our eggs with their foolish actions."_ It spoke in a calm voice, but Ash could hear the rage behind it. Heck, he could understand it himself.

Ash was thinking about it as a million things went through his head. First things first would be see what caused it… and what foolish guy actually disrupted a Pokémon's living area. _If it were Gyarados, that city would've gone down within seconds by just hunting **one** of those. _

" **I have received your word. I will now act as is needed. While I may not be able to revive those who have been hunted and those who have perished before having a chance to actually live, I will take action not just upon humans but you as well.** "

Kyogre, if anything, was even more surprised. It wasn't just the fact that the Chosen just spoke against his own species, but it also mentioned the Tentacool evolution line. Why is that?

Ash continued as if not interrupted at all. " **You are angry, enraged at humans. I can understand you perfectly for feeling as such. However, your kind is now not just hurting those who have hurt you,** " he turned to the city and spotted many hurt children. Children who had nothing to do with the greed that human adults have. " **look at the city and tell me what you see. Not just the buildings you have crushed, but the people within. Are those young ones the ones that have hurt your kind? Aren't you doing the same that the ones who are at wrong have done to your very own kind?** "

The Primal Kyogre and Tentacruel both turned around in the ocean and stared at the city. They saw perfectly what it looked like.

Destroyed. Broken buildings, washed up cars, people who are hurt. Pokémon that have been staying there are all wounded but still try to help their family and friends.

Tentacruel, now calmed down, felt like it had done a great wrong. " _I… I see what I have done. This should not have happened in the way it did…"_

Ash turned to the Tentacruel and his red eyes began to glow fiercer. " **Bring us to the area where you have lived before. I will go on from there and capture those who are responsible. Your areas should have been considered protected. This means the people who have done this did it illegally and thus warrant an arrest and not just a little punishment, but for the rest of their lives. They will suffer. Trust me on that.** "

Tentacruel looked at the boy who spoke for the humans. His eyes, his voice and his actions. They were justified, regal and showed power. It was like staring at a legendary amongst humans.

Without saying a single thing, the Tentacruel brought them towards their former living area. No doubt thinking over the actions of that human and trying to think of what he has to do next.

* * *

Now Primal Kyogre can be many things. He can be considered a natural disaster, a being who wants to end everything that lives on land. Primal Kyogre, however, does appreciate life… and seeing so many eggs of unborn Tentacool could even break its own heart.

That's not just one egg. That's not just a dozen. Those are _hundreds_ or eggs. Hundreds of lives that had yet to feel the freedom of life. To feel the excitement of adventures.

If it wasn't for the fact he was testing the Chosen, he would have used used Origin Pulse continuously and make humans _pay_ for doing this.

But the Chosen was right. He saw the destruction. He saw the lives who could be lost simply because of the anger of the Sea.

He would be no different from the humans who caused this, if he followed those actions.

That's when not just he, but everyone could hear a shout of the person who had created this mess.

" **Those who kill those Tentacool, Tentacruel and whatever the heck that thing is will all receive a million Pokédollars!** "

The amount of greed that adult trainers showed was appalling. Ash replied in kind though. He was fair in this action - they wanted to hurt pokémon for no reason other than their greed.

" **Kyogre,** " Ash started as he got the Legendary's attention, " **Origin Pulse is your signature move, I believe. Use it and crush their pokémon.** "

The Kyogre let out a roar as the water of the sea began to rise.

Trainers called out various pokémon. Dragonite, Pidgeot, Rhydon, Blastoise… all kinds of strong pokémon. But now, they will face a Legendary for the first time. An angered one because of their greed. The Pokémon obviously listened to their trainers call of 'End them!' so, they too, are not deserving of mercy.

Blasts of water were sent towards all pokémon and a massive explosion occurred. Fifty trainers and at least a hundred pokémon were all blasted aside like it was nothing. That was something only a legendary pokémon can do.

Well, a legendary pokémon with the right strength.

That was when he could see a single woman standing on top of a ruined building with a large rocket launcher obviously intended to fatally wound a pokémon or human.

He called out his own pokémon for the first time. A giant Fletchinder flew into the skies as it stared at the rocket that was just fired before it began to glow white and grow larger, larger and even larger.

Falcon finally evolved into a Talonflame. A Talonflame at half the size of a Primal Kyogre. That's four times the size of the usual Talonflame.

Falcon let out a massive screech before using Whirlwind and focusing on the rocket. It began to slow down before the whirlwind guided it to another area.

" **Falcon! Stay focused and look around in case another attack happens. Tentacruel, grab that woman. She's definitely the one responsible. Her voice is the same as the one who called out for your heads.** "

Tentacruel surprisingly obeyed the command and grabbed the woman and brought her - with some slight vindictive actions as he crushed her a little - in front of Ash. She was obviously saying so many curses that even a sailor would blush.

" **What an old hag. Obviously filled with greed… Let's see what happens with you after I finish a call.** "

Ash looked disgusted at the woman. She drew a _weapon_ against pokémon. Nobody does that unless they're actual hunters and those do it for _food_.

Sighing, he turned around and walked a bit further. Tentacruel understood he was going to do something.

Opening the Xtransceiver, he called Lance. Popping up in the screen was a Lance who was obviously near the ocean. Perhaps SS Anne's location?

" _Ash! I can see you're out! Good job! Right now we're using the League Pokémon to get the ship out of the water and wait.. is that a giant Tentacruel? Sigh... "_ Lance knew a headache was coming up.

Ash's eyes were glowing fiercely as he looked at Lance. " **Lance. I need your assistance. A crime happened where I am and they destroyed countless eggs of the Tentacool evolution line. If I didn't step in the Tentacruel would've crushed this city. Come here and put this hag in jail.** "

Lance blinked a few times before Ash began moving the Xtransceiver to show the city as well as the ruined living grounds of Tentacool and Tentacruel.

Lance's eyes became fierce before nodding. He was closeby. " _Dragonite. Fly towards Hutber Port. I'll be on my way, Ash._ "

Ash turned to Brock and James before nodding. They nodded too. Brock and James remained silent but they knew the boy in front of them was angry. Heck, they are too. Not even James is as cruel as that.

Ash let out a tired sigh as his voice turned to normal, if not slightly hoarse. "Kyogre, please wait for a while. A pretty big Dragonite will appear soon with the champion - which is the leader of a region - to put that woman to justice. Is that acceptable?"

The Kyogre growled slightly before resigning to it. Despite the anger it was feeling for that human and the temptation to make sure she's at the bottom of the sea, the Kyogre can understand the actions. **_"That is perfectly acceptable. You have spoken fairly and I must say that I am impressed that despite your anger, you were not impartial. Both Tentacruel and this woman hath done great wrong."_**

Ash shook his head in slight amusement. "I'm not fair at all. I intend to let Tentacruel go. He was justified with his anger and the trainers weren't helping. If you weren't here they might've fought Tentacruel and possibly make sure he'll never wake up again. I do intend to make Lance bring them to a new habitat so they can live in peace."

The Kyogre nodded in agreement before reverting to its normal size. Primal evolution was tiring to it and it only used it to carry the Gyarados which was returned awhile ago.

 ** _"Understood. You have gained my respect, Chosen. Your actions will let me think about the future… Once we are finished, I will return to the depths of the sea and hide for those who seek to control me. It's a shame but I can still become enraged with the use of the Blue and Red orb. Both Groudon and I have been controlled by them once and we will not accept the event twice. Humans foolishly created it in the hopes to control us forever and until that orb is in my own possession I do not want to come out."_**

Ash thought about it for a while. Blue orb and Red orb… He'll ask the professor about it.

Nodding in agreement even if the Kyogre can't see it, Ash smiled. "Thank you, Kyogre. I can see Lance coming."

Kyogre turned around with everyone else following to see a giant Dragonite flying at a very high speed to them. When it reached Kyogre, a man jumped down and landed onto the Kyogre without any hesitation and fear.

Even Kyogre was impressed that the human hadn't hurt himself or wasn't afraid of him… That may be because he's the friend of the Chosen.

Yeah, definitely that.

"Ash… You made friends with a Kyogre, didn't you?" Lance spoke calmly. No, if you looked closely you could see his eyebrow twitch marginally.

Ash rubbed the back of his head nervously… "Maybe? Kyogre made it a test after it saved me from drowning."

Lance turned to the Kyogre before taking the matter in hands. "I thank you as the Champion and leader of the Pokémon League, Kyogre. Ash is one of our respected trainers and junior professors that often helps out natural habitats such as those of the Gyarados. If he had drowned, I fear that we might have lost someone the League cannot miss in the future."

 ** _"It is no trouble, champion of Kanto. The Chosen has interested me and I have awoken in a different state of mind compared to before where I only seek Groudon for battle. What he has shown me has me thinking and once we are finished I will return to the Deep in order to think about what occurred."_**

Lance let out a tired sigh. "That is understood, Kyogre. I thank you once again and be assured with Tentacruel here. This woman will not have a fun time for the rest of her life. I can see the remains of the eggs and they've started floating away. Those are far too many and it is far too much of a crime to do this."

The Kyogre let out a small roar of agreement and called the Pokémon back in its own language. All the Tentacool and Tentacruel came towards Kyogre who nodded to the Giant Tentacruel.

Ash turned to Lance. "Lance, can you bring them to one of the Orange Island habitats? They will be able to survive there with Tentacruel's help no problem and they can't be hunted in protected areas. Nobody is stupid enough to hunt in the Islands anyway."

Lance nodded in agreement. A fair idea to be honest.

Throwing a pokéball, Lance called out his second Dragonite who looked around curiously before spotting Ash and letting out a cheerful cry.

This Dragonite always liked Ash. The boy did help _her_ master Extremespeed.

"Nice to see you too, 'Nite. I see you've been doing well… Can you bring these pokémon to one of the protected areas?" Ash asked for Lance who just shrugged. His second Dragonite liked Ash, he had no problems with it.

Well, he did deep in his heart because Dragon type pokémon also liked Ash far easier than they liked him.

"Thanks for doing so Nita. Can you take care of this woman, Knight? Bring her to the G-Men jail with the highest sentence." The first Dragonite nodded and grabbed the woman from Tentacruel's tentacle and flew away. The second nodded and began guiding the Tentacool and Tentacruel away.

Lance turned to Ash and let out a sigh. "You always find something to bother me or shock me. First you sink with a ship. Now you're on top of a Kyogre like it's a daily occurrence and save a city."

Ash chuckled before he began to feel dizzy… He was tired from all of this.

Understandable for such a young boy.

"Falcon, please return." Ash recalled the Talonflame who flew down and showed its massive size to Lance. The champion blinked a few times before shaking his head in amazement. That Talonflame will be a beast… he's actually looking forward to a battle with Ash in the future.

The Talonflame soon returned to his Cherish Ball and Ash collapsed on top of the Kyogre. Too much stress, such little sleep and the usage of aura in a new way tired him out completely.

Brock quickly caught the boy before chuckling. "Lance, care to help us bring him to a hospital nearby? Lavender Town in the mainland seems to be a good idea. He wanted to go through the Dark Cave originally but it seems we'll do it the easier way."

Lance thought about it before nodding. He can finish most things through calls with his Xtransceiver and he was worried about Ash.

"Alright. Once more, thank you Kyogre. We will bring Ash to safety now."

 ** _"Please give the Chosen my wishes to become well soon then."_**

Lance called out his two Red Gyarados who instantly spotted Ash and came closer. One in worry, the other in interest due to what the other Gyarados told it.

"Gyarados. Ash is tired and needs rest. A hospital will be a good idea - can you bring us to Lavender Town?"

The first Gyarados nodded in agreement before offering them to get on. Lance and Brock got on as James stayed behind for a while thinking about something.

"It might be good practice for Leviathan… Come out buddy!" James called out a massive Gyarados which towered over the red ones and even Lance stayed up.

"Are all trainers around Ash like this?" Lance asked Brock who shrugged. He thought it'd be fun to tease the champion a bit now.

"Gary has a royal species Growlithe which will become a massive Arcanine. I got a Tyranitar. He's got a huge Talonflame and a _shiny Amaura_ and James has his Gyarados… I say yes."

Lance looked at Ash for a bit before shaking his head. "The league championship this year will be very interesting then. I look forward to seeing them battle."

Brock laughed in agreement as James and Leviathan got next to the two red Gyarados, swimming along for practice.

"That, I agree with!"

 _Like that, the adventure of the trainer who saved a city with the help of a Legendary ended for today. However, there will be more to come. Not just Kyogre, but many legendaries will find that the Chosen is interesting enough to give them second opinions. But for now, let him rest and be taken to a hospital, the boy deserves it._

* * *

Delia and Professor Oak were both sitting at a table drinking some coffee and talking about Ash.

"So Samuel, which pokémon has my little boy captured now? You've told me about Gary's Growlithe and his recently evolved Fearow." Delia asked with a smile. The news was currently on but it wasn't the important one.

Oak seemed to chuckle heartily. "He has a couple of rare pokémon that even I want to study. He has a Frogadier, Meowth which can speak human language according to him and a _shiny_ Amaura. Amaura are so rare there are even less than ten of them revived at the moment."

"I see. I'm glad he's been enjoying his journey." Delia spoke cheerfully before they turned to the news. That's when they spotted it.

" _BREAKING NEWS! A few hours ago there was a massive fight going on in Hutber Port as there was a giant Tentacruel angered by the actions of a woman known as Nastina. She has crushed the living habitat of Tentacruel in an accident and broke at least 300 eggs… but it has been stopped! There has been a sighting of a legendary pokémon according to Lance, but none of us recognize it!"_

 _That's when the camera zoomed in on the Primal Kyogre which attacked a hundred pokémon like it's nothing with Origin Pulse._

What Delia and Oak saw though, was something different.

There was a boy on top of that Kyogre.

A very familiar boy.

"So... He's having the time of his life, isn't he?" Delia asked in faked calm.

Oak turned to Delia with eyes that clearly showed fear.

Delia's smile became the scariest thing Oak had seen. Heck, even Giratina could take notes of the feeling of terror that Delia gave off that day. Maybe Giratina would become her pokémon simply for that reason.

One things for sure. The moment Ash comes back home for a while, Delia will have a word with him.

* * *

Ash has been down for two days now. Obviously the usage of aura exhausted him more than one would think and the stress of the things that happened caught up to him.

While doctors said it might be a small coma and not anything dangerous both Lance and Brock stayed. James left a day ago after telling Lance everything about Team Rocket that he knew simply because he left and to be honest, Lance wasn't too worried about letting him go.

Ash has that ability. An ability he sometimes wished to have himself. The ability to _change_ people.

"Ngh.." A sound came from Ash's bedside as a Pikachu and Meowth perked up. Both instantly jumped onto the hospital bed and began talking to their trainer that was waking up.

"Hey guys… Where am I?" Ash asked his pokémon who were smiling happily.

"Yer in the hospital in Lavender Town, Ash," Meowth decided to start and Pikachu finished for him. " _Lance brought us here. James left yesterday after wishing you to get well soon."_

Ash thought back to what happened and flinched slightly. Oh yeah, he saved an entire city thanks to Kyogre and his (or her? He didn't know if legendaries had a gender) powerful Origin Pulse.

That was the scariest thing that ever happened to his young, 12 year old life. Not just sinking down to the depths of the ocean, nearly drowning but also seeing a city being destroyed by an angry pokémon.

It showed that human greed sometimes wakes up something that should not be woken up.

Ash let out a tired sigh as he calmed down. For some reason he felt like this will happen more than he'd like. Oh well, everything is okay now. Hopefully he won't get any problems out of this.

Looking around he spotted Lance and Brock, both smiling at him.

"Hey Ash. It seems you've recovered, as fast as usual," Lance chuckled at Ash's tired eyes before holding out his hand. "Thank you for helping the city. You've done the league yet another favor."

Ash shrugged before shaking it. "No problem Lance. If it happens more I might ask for compensation though," Ash lightly joked.

Lance laughed as he turned to Brock. "Brock, take care of Ash. He's going to need your help if this happens more often."

Brock had a large grin on his face as he looked at Ash. "No worries Lance. To be honest, that was one of the most exciting things that ever happened in my life. I've never seen a legendary pokémon up close either…"

Ash chuckled before showing his necklace. "This Rainbow Feather belongs to Ho-oh. She gave it to me when I started out and flew together with the Fearow and Spearow of Route 1," Ash explained his first legendary encounter. Well, that definitely impressed Lance.

"So the rumors of Ho-oh still being alive is true… That is good news. Hopefully nobody will act stupidly and damage the towers or something in Johto."

Shaking his head, Ash turned to Brock. "When can I leave? I want to start my journey again as soon as possible. My pokémon must be worried as well…"

Pikachu perked up. " _Don't worry! I told everyone how you are! They'll be happy to see you again though."_

Ash pet his starter with a gentle smile. "Thank you Pikachu, for telling them."

" _No problem!"_

"Well Ash, I gotta say I didn't expect ta have such adventures with ya. Can't say it ain't fun tho," Meowth perked up as he looked at his trainer. Ash just chuckled at his comment. It seems that he'll at least have friends with him the next time.

Hopefully he won't sink inside of a ship again. That's not a fun experience.

Lance turned to Ash with a serious face before throwing a badge in his hands. "This is an official League badge. You may challenge the League this year no matter what. I do believe you're the type to still do the gym battles though," Lance smirked when he saw Ash nod. That's the boy he wanted to battle.

"Make me proud Ash. You're my friend and I hope to see you as a rival soon too. Get strong and challenge the league. We'll have a battle afterwards no matter if you win or lose," Lance winked at him before leaving the hospital room.

Brock looked at Ash with a grin. "So… Friends with a champion. Friends with a giant Dragonite and now friends with a Kyogre… You're making quite some connections, Ash," he teased.

Ash simply shook his head before getting out of the hospital bed and walked towards his bag to put on some clothes. Brock just turned around to give Ash some privacy.

"So did I miss anything else?" Ash asked as he was getting dressed in his traveling clothes.

Brock thought about it before shaking his head. "No, Onix mastered his Iron Head yesterday so I'll evolve him soon. I hope you can have a few mock trades with me later, Ash."

"Yeah, no problem Brock." Ash finished putting on his clothes and neatly folded his hospital gown and put it on the bed. Making sure everything is still attached to his belt and that his gloves worked well, he turned around to the former Gym Leader. "We can go now if you want," Ash offered and Brock chuckled.

Seems like Ash is like any other kid. They hate hospitals with a passion.

* * *

"So we're in Lavender Town… That means it's time to go Ghost Busting," Ash joked a little with Brock as his pokémon were all outside of their pokéball.

Right now the group was sitting outside the 'Tower of Terror' as it's called. Ash and Brock heard that there are powerful pokémon inside of it and they got curious.

Of course, during that time Ash was tackled by all his pokémon who began holding him like the world was ending. Even Hermit who usually remained calm was happy to see his trainer being fine.

Tyranitar also noticed the giant Talonflame and gave it a nod of respect.

Meanwhile, Brock's pokémon were surprised at the recent changes. Hermit, Falcon and Pupitar evolved. Quite a surprise to be honest.

So right now they were having a small meal before going inside. Everything would be better than the horrible food that they had in the hospital there.. Actually, Ash wondered if someone pranked him with it because he definitely saw a pretty good meal at someone else's table.

Ignoring that, they just discussed what will happen now.

"Yeah we'll go through the tower. I'm actually curious if I can capture a Ghost Pokémon. I'm interested in trying to train one to see how that goes," Brock started as Ash nodded in agreement. Training Ghost type pokémon is different from training other pokémon.

That's because they can go through the floor, walls and other objects. They can reside in shadows. They can make minor illusions occur. They can do so many things that a normal trainer doesn't know how to train a ghost-type pokémon despite often wanting one for the simple reason of knowing that they are 'cool' and 'strong'.

Agatha would punt every single kid who said that.

"I see. I must admit that it sounds interesting. To use illusions in a battle can be very tricky but when mastered it will definitely be a very powerful ability. The ability to dodge by going through the floor or into shadows is also very amazing," Ash commented as he looked at the tower.

For some reason he could feel blue, glowing eyes staring at him from there…

Brock turned to Ash with some worry before placing a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be careful though. Ghost pokémon can be unpredictable and may be hostile."

Ash nodded slowly as he finished his lunch and recalled his pokémon except Pikachu and Greninja. They'll be needed here.

Brock returned his pokémon except for Vulpix who stayed out because of her Extrasensory and her sense of smell.

The two trainers and their pokémon walked into the tower as they started their journey to find a ghost pokémon for Brock and possibly Ash if he sees something that may interest him…

 _or something is interested in him instead?_

* * *

"Hmm… This tower is quite interesting. We've spotted a few Gastly already but they're not that interesting for you huh," Ash commented as he looked at Brock who shook his head.

Brock didn't feel any connection to the Gastly line at all.

"Hmm… I might just be too greedy here," Brock mumbled as they reached the top.

Both trainers entered the last room which is a large battlefield area which was used to practice battling. It seemed to be reinforced within the tower and they could see that there were tons of ghost pokémon around.

However, the things that attracted them were two pokémon.

One was a Haunter in a much darker colour than usual and a blue tongue. The fact that made it more interesting though, was that unlike the smaller iris and pupil of a Haunter this one had a much larger, glowing blue one. Perhaps it had to do with the being it was before it became a Ghost-pokémon? It was never confirmed nor denied that a pokémon becomes a ghost type after drawing their last breath.

The other was a giant golem-like figure. A Golett that reached 2 meters in length… Something that was once again, a freakin' royal species.

Ash stared at the Haunter who stared at him in return. The Golett stared at Brock who stood still and looked interested.

Two things happened.

Ash's eyes began to glow a bright red as the pokémon around the field began to back off and make space for a battle to occur. Haunter seemed to move towards the battle field on one side.

Golett saluted to Brock, who nodded. The large golem stood next to Haunter.

A double battle.

"Well Brock… Time to work together, eh?" Ash said to his friend who nodded with an eager smile.

Brock grasped Tyranitar's pokéball for this. That Golett is a powerhouse most likely. "Let's do this Ash."

Ash nodded to Hermit who nodded in return and jumped onto the battlefield as Tyranitar appeared next to him. Both were ready for battle.

" _Bring it on… We'll defeat you. If you can defeat us, however small the chance is, we will become your pokémon…_ " A creepy voice that would make most scream in fright reached their ears.

This was nothing to Ash and Brock though. They each met a Legendary, or in Ash's case, Legendaries. Those are far more frightening compared to a creepy voice.

"Hermit! Smokescreen and then Shadow Sneak!" The Frogadier made the left field turn into darkness as only the Haunter's glowing blue eyes were seen now. Hermit disappeared into the shadows as if moving as one and slammed into the Haunter who tried to follow its speed before.

" _Gah! Take this!_ " Haunter used his Thunder Punch to hit the Greninja, but it took the hit with a simple grunt instead of a cry of pain.

Sometimes, Protean is like a cheat.

Naturally, Tyranitar and Golett weren't standing still. Both beasts in strength began to use their strength as Golett used Mega Punch and Tyranitar went for Iron Tail. Ironically, after mastering Iron Head the move Iron Tail was easily mastered.

The two powerhouses hit each other straight on and caused dust to explode from the area. Hermit took that to his advantage as he disappeared with Feint Attack and Haunter had to scan the field for him again.

From within the dust multiple Water Shuriken were thrown at the Haunter and the Golett. It is a double battle after all.

Taking the chance of the Haunter, Tyranitar used Dark Pulse and charged a dark, black orb in front of his mouth before he fired it towards the Haunter to damage it more than Greninja's moves can.

Hermit then rushed to the Golett and began using rapid Ice Punches before he was completely noticed and slammed them on the feet to make sure it was frozen in a massive amount of ice. This is to make it harder to move.

Tyranitar took that as a hint and grasped the Golett before using Crunch on his shoulder and making the Ghost/Ground Pokémon cry out in pain.

Haunter took the offensive side now as he used Shadow Ball to hit Tyranitar away from Golett and then used a move that _shouldn't_ be possible.

 _"Night… Daze!"_ The Haunter's voice reached them as the Haunter began to glow a fierce, dark red color and it fired a massive wave of dark energy at both Greninja and Tyranitar.

"Hermit! Bounce and use Tyranitar as a stepping stone to jump over the attack and use Aqua Jet!"

"Tyranitar! Use Iron Defense!"

Both Pokémon moved in sync as Tyranitar began to glow an iron color and the Greninja used that time to jump high in the air before using the Tyranitar's shoulders to jump even higher over the attack.

Haunter seemed surprised at the teamwork as the Greninja began to be surrounded by water and rushed straight towards the Haunter.

Golett was, however, slightly forgotten and the Golem Pokémon reminded them kindly in the form of a Hammer Arm and it hit the Tyranitar with the double super effective move, blowing the Tyranitar away.

Brock cried out in worry before gritting his teeth. "Tyranitar! Rush up to Golett and use Crunch on his arms. Make sure that it can't move them!" The green pseudo-legendary roared as it rushed at the massive Golett, biting down with dark energy onto its arm as the Golett tried to hit the Tyranitar off.

Haunter was in a predicament though. He thought it was an easy challenge to beat these trainers but then again, he felt interest in that red eyed boy. That boy's pokémon spoke for itself as Haunter was hit head on with Aqua Jet before following up with a Water Pulse when the Greninja was at a fair distance.

Haunter wasn't going to take much more than that though. A barrage of Shadow Punches were seen as the attacks were destroyed and the Haunter rushed towards Greninja who received yet another Thunder Punch head on. This time, it was super effective.

Greninja was sent flying towards Tyranitar, making them both stay together. Haunter took that was a chance.

This time an even darker red energy surrounded Haunter to the point it was nearly a black color and the glowing eyes definitely showed the image that most would fear. It was as if a beast of darkness was upon them.

Firing a massive wave of dark energy towards the Greninja and Tyranitar, Haunter intended to finish it.

What it didn't suspect though, was Greninja knowing a very specific move.

 _Substitute._ A doll-like being was in front of the blast and nullified it but the Greninja was now even more exhausted as it was breathing heavily.

Still, they took it as a chance. Firing a Water Pulse against Golett's head Greninja managed to confuse the Golem Pokémon and Tyranitar finished it off with one last crunch.

That's when the two pokémon were now up against a single Haunter.

Both glared at the Ghost Pokémon who began sweating heavily as impossible as it sounds.

Greninja began running at a high speed towards the Haunter and used Feint Attack to disappear in the shadows before striking at the back of the Haunter and hitting it towards Tyranitar.

Tyranitar in turn used his large tail with Iron Tail to slam it straight back towards Greninja.

But Haunter won't go down with a fight, not at all. Opening his massive mouth, Haunter began letting out a certain move that most - if not all - trainers hate. _Perish Song._

Both Tyranitar and Greninja in their tired state began to cry out in pain as the song reached their ears but it wasn't enough to finish them off just yet. The Tyranitar began to charge towards Haunter with Iron Head and Greninja was holding two massive Water Pulses thanks to his Torrent ability.

The two pokémon hit the Haunter head on, now causing it to faint before collapsing themselves.

All four pokémon were down and both trainers had to admit… Those two pokémon are _strong._

Golett is a complete powerhouse that most likely has **Iron Fist** as an ability. That, combined with its massive body and weight makes it a terror to battle. Let's not forget that Royal Pokémon tend to have stronger bodies.

The Haunter was a complete surprise though. It took a lot of hits before going down and that spoke of its endurance and strength. The Night Daze, a move that only a Zorua or Zoroark can learn, was very powerful and it knew Perish Song which is a last resort.

Both Ash and Brock agreed that they want to capture them. Brock liked Golett not just because of its abilities but also the fact it reminded him of Rock-type pokémon. Ash liked the _shiny_ Haunter a lot and it had a unique move. Perhaps it was a special pokémon too.

The trainers returned their fainted pokémon and threw a Cherish ball and Pokéball at Haunter and Golett respectively.

Both trainers now have their sixth pokémon. Ash grinned happily as he looked at Brock. "Now we can do Saffron City instead of Celadon City first."

Brock nodded in agreement. He was looking forward to it because Tyranitar now had a second powerhouse to compete with. _Rivalry makes a pokémon strong._

Ash was just happy he had a sixth pokémon. A shiny Haunter with a unique move… _or was there more to the Haunter?_

* * *

"Phew.. We're finally outside. It seems those two were one of the stronger pokémon but we had to battle our way out because we captured them…" Ash was panting slightly as both he and Brock were now outside of the Pokémon Tower or what some call the Tower of Terror.

"Tell me about it Ash… if I didn't have Vulpix with me I'd definitely be screwed by the amount of Gastly we had to beat…" Brock was out of breath as well. Behind the two stood a Vulpix and Pikachu covered in wounds from the massive amount of battles they just had.

 _It wasn't a smart idea to capture two of the leaders in the tower._

"Well we're finally outside… Dear Arceus, I won't go in that tower ever again," Ash complained. He is friends with most pokémon but even he can have angry pokémon after him.

Brock nodded before the two returned their Pokémon to let them rest. They didn't complain in the slightest as they started resting inside of their respective pokéballs.

"Let's go to Nurse Joy. We also need to have a bath I mean c'mon.. We got so many things thrown at us I feel like my hair turned gray from all the dust," Ash complained as he walked on. A benefit of aura was that he had a lot more stamina than others.

Well, Brock often trained his body so he didn't have much of a problem as well. He swiftly joined Ash's side.

Ash turned to Brock with a teasing smile. "Seems like you too joined the side of 'lucky trainers'," Ash teased him with a grin.

Brock couldn't help but laugh. "Hearing that from someone who has a _shiny_ royal species Talonflame, a _Shiny Amaura_ and a _Shiny_ Haunter. It makes me think that you are one of those shiny hunters."

Ash shrugged. Even if they weren't shiny, he wouldn't mind. He simply captured Haunter because he felt a connection to it and the fact it was strong and knew a move it shouldn't. Being a shiny doesn't really matter to Ash.

"Let's get going though… Nurse Joy is going to snap at us for having so many tired pokémon," Ash whined at the end.

Brock just chuckled. Another fun adventure right there.

* * *

"Young man, you're not supposed to let your pokémon get so tired! What did you do to them?!" Nurse Joy scolded Ash who pouted slightly.

He tried to argue against her but she shut him up with a glare.

Brock took it in his hands though. It wasn't fair that Ash only got scolded.

"Joy, we were in the Pokémon Tower. Both of us captured a Ghost pokémon as you can see. Apparently they were leaders and despite the fact that they agreed to be captured after losing a battle the surrounding ghosts didn't agree… So we had to fight our way out."

Nurse Joy blinked a few times before frowning. It seems she went a tad too far with the boy. "I see… I apologize, Ash," She bowed to Ash in apology who shook his head.

"It's your job to make sure pokémon are healthy. I understand why you were angry. Just let me _finish_ talking when I want to explain what happened."

Nurse Joy had a small blush of embarrassment on her face before she turned around and took out their pokéballs from the healing machine for quick recoveries. There were no 'extreme' wounds that needed the emergency room.

"I see.. Here are your pokémon. I take it you want a room to rest in?" Both boys nodded as Nurse Joy guided them to a Professor Room thanks to Ash's status as Junior. Once again, Joy wanted to blush in embarrassment because she snapped at such a person.

Professors were very highly thought of. Juniors were also respected as they often made a discovery or invention that helped a lot of people, or simply a genius invention that they had yet to bring out but showed the League.

There's also the fact that Ash studied under Oak and professor Oak signed the card to tell people he was the one who taught him.

The boys kept their pokémon inside of their pokéballs for the night. Tomorrow is another day, another journey.

* * *

Morning came far too soon for Ash as he yawned and stretched his body. He was tired from last night's battles against the massive amount of Gastly and Haunter because they captured two of the leaders.

Luckily, the third leader which is a Gengar wasn't there to battle them.

They would've lost most likely because Ash couldn't call out his Talonflame in that small area. Once more an annoying fact that giant pokémon aren't supported in housing areas.

The boy simply did the morning rituals he usually had and walked into the Pokémon Center restaurant where he spotted Brock drinking some coffee and reading one of his medical books.

"Good morning, Ash. Slept well?" Brock asked as he kept reading. Probably heard him coming.

Ash yawned again as he took a seat and ordered a coffee as well as a sandwich.

"Yeah… I'm still kinda tired from that long, long battle. It's surprising how many Gastly became hostile even though both Haunter and Golett agreed they could be captured if they were defeated."

Brock grumbled slightly under his breath about evil ghost pokémon but other than that remained silent as Ash received his meal from a Chansey and started his breakfast.

"So we're going to Saffron next?" Brock asked Ash as he finished the chapter about herbs in the wild, finishing the first book.

Ash simply nodded as he ate silently. He was thinking about why he felt a connection to the Haunter because he was an aura user and a Haunter is a ghost pokémon which means he has no aura.

"Let's call out our pokémon after breakfast. I want to speak with Haunter for a bit… Plus you need to connect with Golett anyway," Ash smirked slightly.

Brock just shook his head as he drank his coffee.

* * *

After a nice breakfast with some coffee the boys went outside of Lavender Town and reached Route 8 towards Saffron City.

When they reached some nice shaded off area where no trainer would come anytime soon, they called out their pokémon. Now there stood 12 pokémon.

All the old ones stared at the new friend that they noticed. Glacia seemed interested before walking up to the Haunter and nodding her head in acceptance.

" _Seems like you are a former living pokémon. I can feel the energy,_ " the shiny Amaura spoke with a soft voice as she looked at Haunter who was surprised. Actually, he was damn near impressed with the team of the boy that captured him. Those are some strong pokémon.

Haunter nodded at the Amaura's words though. " _I used to be a Zoroark. My trainer was an aura guardian. I think it's because of that that I remember my past life too,"_ Haunter spoke this time not creepy but more of a mature tone.

Golett stared at Brock with its arms folded the behind Brock stood Tyranitar doing the same. Both pokémon stared at each other as if evaluation their value… before Tyranitar raised his arm.

Both pokémon shook hands in mutual respect.

Brock didn't need to do _anything._

Letting out a sigh he just let his pokémon bond with the new one. Seeing the Haunter did satisfy Brock because that meant he'll mock trade soon.

That Haunter was a pretty strong one so it might need evolution pretty soon.

Ash and Haunter were now talking though.

"You said your former trainer was an Aura Guardian… Does that mean Riley, or?" Ash asked the Haunter in curiosity. Riley was one of the very, very few Aura Guardians in the world.

Haunter seemed to think before answering. The result was him shaking his head. " _My former trainer was Aaron. He too, was the Chosen._ _Perhaps that is why I am attracted to you."_

Ash nodded in agreement. That was a good reasoning behind the connection he felt as he looked curiously. "Then do you wish to form an aura bond? I do need a partner until I can master it and seeing how you've been with a guardian before, you can help me. Right now I can only form a bond with those who know how to use aura."

Haunter began laughing at Ash. " _Ghost pokémon can't use aura! We use ghost energy, energy of the dead. It's the complete opposite… but, seeing you with such overflowing aura, perhaps it's a good idea to form a bond. I may be able to lessen it gradually so you have better control. Even now you leak aura as if it's nothing,_ "

Ash blushed in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, let's do it then partner."

Haunter nodded in agreement. He can trust the Chosen, no matter what. It was after all something his former trainer was.

Both held out a fist and bumped each other's fist before a small wave of aura and ghostly energy went around them. The two energies - one purple and one blue began to mix as the two began to create a special bond. Since Ash hasn't done this before, Haunter took the initiative and formed the bond for him.

The way to bond will be taught _after_ Ash learns more about aura. Haunter just found something amusing to do instead of stay in that tower.

 _So, now there is a sixth pokémon in Ash's team. A former Zoroark which is now a shiny Haunter. Brock too, gained a new partner. One which will become a real powerhouse in the future._

* * *

 **What's up guys? Here's another chap. I wanted Lavender Town to happen because I intended Ash's pokémon to be a Ghost pokémon. Of course, I went with a unique spin.**

 **Aaron's former (shiny) Zoroark is now a shiny Haunter. The Haunter joined Ash's team and will teach him more about aura as well as applications it has.**

 **Soon, both boys will have a mock trade as well so their pokémon can train even harder.**

 **How was this chapter though? Next chapter will contain some aura training by a ghost-type. Something nobody has done before! Why do I do this? 'Cause it's unique.**

 **Aura is the energy of every living being. Ghost types aren't alive obviously and so are the opposite of Aura. Ash, who has an overflow of aura needed a Haunter which can sap it away thanks to an aura bond. More explanations in the next chapter!**

 **Hope you guys liked this chapter. I tried my best on it anyway. I'd love to hear from you guys in reviews as criticism is appreciated.**

 **Oh by the way… Tyranitar is still new to his body. Despite being a pseudo-legendary, a massive Golett that uses Hammer Arm with Iron Fist as an ability can damage any Tyranitar. Just saying before someone mentions it. See you next time!**


	8. Road to Saffron City

**Hello y'all! Welcome to another chapter of Road of the Master! This chapter is about reaching Saffron City as well as capturing some Pokémon for future goals. Ash captures two Pokémon for other people here but keeps them for a while to actually train them for their jobs.**

 **You do not capture guards for no reason.**

 **So, let's bring on the reviews.**

 **Q: Is the Claydol that is spoken of the same one from the stone ball in the anime?**

 **A: Yes, yes it is! Giant Pokémon of old age have connections with each other.**

 **Q: Ash and Sabrina coming together?**

 **A: No, I've seen another story do this. A psychic _will_ join though. Only because Vital Info gave me a pretty good review of things I can improve on. Sabrina, in this story, is like the emotionally empty one. I can see her _parents_ refusing her to leave and make her regain her emotions there.**

 **Q: Raichu and Persian?**

 **A: Maybe. Pikachu might evolve if I give it enough time. It won't happen until Hoenn if he does though as until then the power can be reached through training! No limits for Ash's Pokémon, darn it! Persian? Well, Meowth refuses to evolve… As much as I love Persian, I'd have to say no. Perhaps in the very faraway future when Meowth recognizes the need to evolve for a reason.**

 **Q: Mega evolution!**

 **A: Not sure if I answered this before. I'm not opening past chapter through laziness. Yes, Mega Evolution will be in this story! It'll be _rare!_ I like mega evolutions but even now I find them far too soon. Do enjoy the future Mega Gengar though… I have special ideas for him. Actually, I have special ideas for Trickster in general. **

**Q: Will Ash keep Haunter? Will he capture a Dratini?**

 **A: HarHarHar! Haunter will stay as this is a different one compared to the one that simply joined him and then stayed with Sabrina. This one is the former Aura Guardian, Aaron's, former Zoroark. Special things will happen to it… as for Dratini… Hmm. Maybe? There's a giant, _wild_ Dragonite. That's far future though. None of his Pokémon will be able to beat that monstrous Dragonite yet. Yes, he can befriend but… Dragon-type Pokémon do not follow you easily. You need to battle them. Even Titan. **

**Now that my answers and all are done! Enjoy this chapter. I worked on it hard with my breaks and little time I have. Damn parties and work! Give me reviews if you see a large mistake!**

 **Update 10-01-2016: Corrected 'Flat' hair... Like, really? My bad. Thanks Vital Info for seeing this! His hair is supposed to be straight in Kanto!.. in my story at least.**

* * *

Ash, Brock and their pokémon have finally reached route 08 after leaving the grounds of Lavender Town. To be honest, now that they actually thought about it, the air was much cleaner here and it felt… more pure? Perhaps it was because of the ghost-types that live in that town.

"So, Haunter… Would you like a nickname? I'm not sure if this Aaron has given you one in the past," Ash started a conversation with his newest friends. This friend was currently hiding within Ash's shadow as he didn't _like_ the fierce sunlight though he could withstand it without any troubles compared to some other ghost-types.

" _Actually, I have one. It's Trickster since I used to prank our team a lot,_ " the now known Trickster let out a laughter that sounded… well, haunting. Both Brock and Ash felt a shiver down their spines.

Ash then chuckled a little. "If we find an annoying trainer, you have full permission to prank them."

" _Now this is why I will not regret joining you, hahaha!_ " Laughter filled the air but this time filled with amusement. After all, he received full prank rights on trainers that his new trainer does not like. Hopefully he doesn't like a lot of them.

Brock turned to the group with Vulpix on his shoulder and Roselia next to him, "By the way, Ash. I've heard that it's the season for swarm pokémon. The news said that route 8 will now have a lot of Houndour and Murkrow in the area. Any interest?"

Ash thought about it for a while. Yes, he had six pokémon…

But should he stop there for each region? He decided that it would let him focus on a single team for the ease of use but right now he has slots of 10 pokémon. He can capture four others before he fills his space in Kanto.

He filed the thoughts away for another time.

"No, not now. Dark types don't interest me much since Hermit is, if he disables Protean as he's capable of doing so, part dark type," Ash explained to his friend who nodded in turn.

Brock then chuckled. "I may be interested in capturing a Houndour for home actually. They're perfect guards," Ash couldn't help but laugh.

" _If_ we're lucky enough," He spoke thinking that they'll probably never meet a swarm.

* * *

"BROCK, I HATE YOU!" Ash shouted as he was running from a giant pack of Houndour and a few Houndoom. Brock wasn't far behind as both of them were practically running for their lives.

 _How did they get into this trouble? Well… It went like this._

 **[ Flashback: Start ]**

"Haha, I know Ash! We may be lucky with our team and the fact they _wanted_ to join us, but we'll probably have less luck with the Houndour."

You poor, _naive_ fool. Completely forgetting the fact that you're traveling with _Ash_.

"We'll see…" Ash was more skeptical. After all, didn't he attract all that attention before?

That was also the moment Brock took out a pair of binoculars. A pair of silver colored binoculars.

 _Shiny_ binoculars.

He began to search around for any signs of the Houndour swarm. The news did say that there were a lot of them. Why wouldn't they be closeby now?

"Brock, even if they're common they won't be in plain sight. They'll most likely be in a cave or rocky area where they can hide and _not_ set the forest on fire," his traveling partner commented.

Brock nodded with a depressed face. He did look forward to capturing one, or perhaps more for his little brothers and sisters. They'd love the Houndour family.

He sighed, "Ah well. I hoped I could've caught one soon. Guess we'll have to wait until night."

That was until they could hear a cry… of a Pokémon.

From above.

It was a Honchkrow with several other Murkrow staring down at Brock and the _shining_ silver colored binoculars.

Ash turned to his friend and had to ask, "Was this also a method you intended to use in order to capture a Murkrow?"

Brock shook his head before putting his binoculars away. _Slowly_.

"RUN!"

* * *

It was getting dark and they managed to _finally_ escape the damned Murkrow. That was _not_ something that Ash would like to do again, nor would Brock.

The binoculars had been thrown at the leader so they were distracted and they ran for dear life. Why would they do so? Because they all carried something _shiny_. Ash had his cherish balls, Brock his pokéballs and let's not even begin about the _badges_ on Ash's jacket.

What? He liked to show them off! Even if he shows that he is a rookie at the moment, it shows he at least isn't some weak rookie.

"So… We're in the forest," thanks Brock, for your ability to see where we are.

Ash just nodded before grabbing all of his team and he called them out. Right now it was time for a meal. His internal clock said so.

Brock rose a delicate eyebrow at the action before gaining an understanding look. It didn't take long before he too, called out his team. Now with the massive amount of 'Mon standing there wild Pokémon will hesitate.

So they can cook their meal. _Let it be known that if you do not hand over Ash's cooking to his 'Mon, they will be mad. That's putting it kindly, too._

* * *

After having a delicious meal involving various berries and even a Sitrus Berry Smoothie that Ash had made with the help of his Greninja they were cleaning the area.

The trainers' pokémon were already training after dinner as per habit. Right now it was mostly based on movement for dodging as well as endurance in case you get hit.

For example, Onix had to move his body swiftly instead of bulldozing through things. Greninja was firing a lot of Water Pulses at the giant rock snake so if he gets hit, it does a lot of damage… and deals a lot of pain for the Onix.

"It was a pretty good meal. It's night now so I suspect you'll get your wish… if we find a group. Of course we don't want to deal with tons of them…"

Brock chuckled heartily. At least Ash gives him a lot of rights in this travel as well. Well, he just let Ash lead and he followed most of the time but if he wants something, it happens.

Ash is just too kind for his friends. Not that Brock complained about that part of Ash.

However, Pikachu's ears perked up before he began to growl. _"Ash! Pokémon! Surrounding us!"_

Ash blinked a few times before relaying it to Brock. They both returned their Pokémon except Ash's Pikachu and Brock's Vulpix so that they don't see too threatening.

It was once a lesson of Oak: Do not appear threatening in a possible territory of a Pokémon pack. That's akin to suicide.

That's also when they realized _what_ was surrounding them. A lot of white skulls were appearing in the dark… tell-tale signs of Houndour and Houndoom.

"Brock?" Ash turned to his friend with a calm face.

Brock turned to his friend, "Yes Ash?"

"They're mad at us for being here."

"Oh…"

That's how their predicament started. Yes, Ash also completely forgot that Falcon could carry him up in the sky. Blame a panicking 12-year old will you?

 **[ Flashback: End ]**

Now they're running for their dear lives, still wondering whether it was a good idea to even go in the forest at night… as well as cooking a meal that many Pokémon could smell.

They were still children so mistakes are expected… Well, it came to this point and Pikachu was getting angrier by the second at the insults of those _mutts_.

Consider them prey? Consider them a meal? Call them _weak_?

Even Ash could hear it but the last one made him stop running and turn around with a fierce glare. He instantly called out his Greninja and Talonflame. Brock, seeing the anger in the boy's eyes understood that he was getting angry at something the Fire/Dark-type Pokémon were saying.

Seeing no choice but to help him, Brock joined in. He called out Onix, Tyranitar, Graveler and Golett to battle them off as he had more Pokémon with advantages.

Well, some of the Houndour were staring at some of them in slight fear.

The Tyranitar in particular was showing a dangerous gleam in his eyes after some of the stupid dogs kept barking about eating the humans and Pokémon.

"Attack!" Ash ordered as they didn't need orders. That was the start of the chaos that filled the night.

Well.. Two trainers against roughly 40 Houndour and 10 Houndoom. Should be fair, right?

Good thing that they don't have special training equipment or else those dogs would be monsters. That's something the group learnt after battling them all off.

* * *

"Huff.. Huff.. That's the sixth Houndour and second Houndoom for at home. This should.. huff.. be enough for them," Brock breathed out in a tired voice.

Ash only nodded with a tired expression. He, himself, caught two Houndoom for the simple reasoning of having one at Oak's lab for protection as well as his mother's restaurant as a guard.

Those two Houndoom were also female… So they'll hopefully listen better than the males that Brock caught.

Actually, he captured a breeding pair of Houndour. Pretty impressive start for a breeder as the Houndour family was rare.

Well, Ash had stopped thinking there as he turned to his Pokémon.

Hermit was resting against a tree and you could see his body filled with burn marks of flamethrowers that went around. Despite the type advantage, it's still hard to win against 50 pokémon with so little of their own.

Pikachu seemed fine in this case. He was small and managed to use a few Houndour as meatshields by sliding under some during the battle. It seems that Pikachu had that fantastic body size that many wished yet not wished in battle.

Being small is pretty cool in multiple target battles. Against huge monsters like Kyogre? No thank you, sir.

His Talonflame just flew around without being tired. It seems that he could dodge very well in the air thanks to Ash's aerial maneuvers instructions. Flamethrowers rarely hit the Talonflame and Falcon often used Flame Charge to absorb the flames in its own attack and go straight at the Houndour with a powered up move.

Let's just say that Falcon beat most of them. Pikachu did take care of most of the Houndoom. Hermit protected the human trainers in this case, taking hits and knocking down Pokémon that got too close.

Brock's Pokémon were fairly well. Golett was a complete beast despite its ghost-type disadvantage. Using a lot of Mega Punch and even Thunder Punches had that powerful effect with its ability. A single mega punch took out three Houndour. Brock took count.

Onix was the perfect guard at their back. He took moves that were meant for the trainers and blasted the ones who tried with Rock Slide.

Graveler was using Rollout and steamrolled through the Pokémon as they were distracted.

Tyranitar was being a Tyranitar. A terror for the hounds. Let it also be known that the ones who spoke of eating his trainer was feeling the power of a Hyperbeam.

"Well.. Mission accomplished I suppose. Let's get out of here," Ash didn't even hesitate to return his Pokémon except Falcon. They'll fly away from here in case some of the hounds felt vicious for having some of their pack captured.

"Good idea," Brock quickly agreed with that thought. They really needed to get away… There's even the chance they're a small part of a huge pack. It wouldn't be a surprise considering they're the swarm Pokémon around here. Returning all of his Pokémon he quickly moved to Ash.

"Falcon, pick us up and fly us to a safe area! Next to a river, please," Ash added the latter because they will need a source of water. Sadly, that meant they'll get even further away from the main path into the danger zones but that was alright. They had tough Pokémon and Falcon can fly extremely fast.

The giant Talonflame gave a cry of agreement before smoothly going down and picking up Ash and Brock with practiced effort, lifting them into the air with its claws. Thanks to some use of tailwind and minor control of the wind they didn't even feel like they were flying forward. Something Ash _really_ focused on after Fletchling evolved into Fletchinder.

* * *

So they finally arrived at a safe place and rested for the night. They each kept out a Pokémon – in this case Trickster and Golett. Both of them were at their peak in the night which made them perfect guards and both Pokémon understood why.

The Pokémon they captured were swiftly healed thanks to Brock and Ash's efforts. To be honest, it was amusing how it all went in Ash's opinion. He definitely got the better end of the stick.

 **[ Flashback: Start ]**

It was finally after Ash and Brock healed up their captured Pokémon that it started. Ash captured both Houndoom with a pair of Luxury Balls so that they at least spent some time in comfort. Brock just used the plain pokéballs as he didn't really consider buying special ones.. Maybe Ash should have a word with him.

Both Ash's Houndoom woke up and perked up. They did notice the scent of natural herbs and that some of their wounds had a slight burning feeling so they must've been treated.

Was it by their pack, or were they captured?

A single sniff was all it took as the two Houndoom instantly knew what happened. They did smell the boy they tried to attack just before.

"It seems you two are awake," Ash walked up to them without any fear. His red eyes were glowing as Ash was reinforcing his body with his aura. The usual kind smile wasn't there but this time a thin line as he was judging them either hostile or friendly. It's known that wild Pokémon first need motivation to join you.

Both Houndoom perked up before carefully standing up and standing in front of the young child. Ash stared them down without any fear and the same was done in his direction.

" _It appears that you have caught us both. May we know the reasoning behind the act?_ " The first of the two spoke up. In Ash's ears it sounded like a mature voice of a perhaps 30 year old woman. This one was definitely the older one of the two.

Ash nodded, "I captured you two for two reasons. One was that my mother owns a restaurant and I do not like the fact that some customers can become… _hostile_. I wanted a Pokémon that could protect the restaurant and my mother."

The younger one of the two perked up in interest. The older one wasn't too interested in treats which can be understood.

" _The other reason_?" The mature Houndoom asked, showing a fierce look that said that some consequences will be seen if they were captured from their pack for no reason. While one was very kind, she wanted to know the other one.

Ash nodded as he understood what the Houndoom meant. It was actually funny that they still didn't realize he could understand them. "I studied under the professor of our region, Professor Oak. He owns a ranch where I worked at since I was little and learnt everything I know. Now that I'm no longer there, I wanted to make sure that the fields are protected and a few Growlithe that Oak has isn't enough in my opinion. His Dragonite isn't capable of managing it all, so I wanted a Pokémon that will _lead_ as well as _protect_ the Pokémon in the ranch. To sum it up, I want a Pokémon that will manage everything in that ranch. Do understand that the Pokémon there are either protected from trainers or Pokémon that belong to a trainer so they can be considered a flexible 'pack' for you."

The mature one nodded. This time in interest.

 _Wait…_ " _Did you just understand us?_ " the younger one asked. It was the voice of a teenage girl this time. Ash just chuckled at their reaction which showed clear surprise.

The trio could now hear a yelp of pain which definitely belonged to Brock. Turning their heads in unison to their right they could spot Brock jumping around with a still angered Houndour biting his rear.

Ash couldn't help it. He burst out laughing at the sight which was extremely comical for him.

The two Houndoom looked at it with their own versions of laughter and smirks. It was obvious that the other trainer took one of the more… _rowdy_ of the pack.

He did capture a lot of them, actually. It interested them why.

"Houndoom, could you ask the Houndour there to calm down? Brock has a good reason," Ash tried to speak through his laughter though it was obvious he was having a hard time to.

The two Pokémon that were now part of Ash's family nodded as they walked up to the group. The two Houndoom that Brock captured were both males that were considered the 'guards' of the group and so the tougher ones. The Houndour there were a pair of mates and four pups that were recently born.

" _Calm down pup!_ " the mature one barked out and the Houndour instantly let go before growling slightly and arguing with the two obviously stronger ones of its pack. This pup didn't like being captured, it seems.

Houndoom growled back showing its teeth as well as flames that perked out in slight anger. It seems this pup was getting ahead of itself, clearly because this one used to be the pack leader's pup.

A quick tail lash was all it took to shut up the Houndour and they explained the situation.

Brock seemed interested at how Ash's Houndoom were taking care of the situation without any trouble. He also noticed the two Houndoom of his own stirred and were awake, but not do a thing. Possible acting as if they're down.

Ash walked up towards the group letting out a faint yawn. He was understandably tired from what occurred tonight. "Brock, explain why they are captured and the perks of it."

Brock perked up before starting his reasons as well as being a former Gym Leader. Ash let out Meowth to act as translator, telling his two Houndoom to come help him set up a fire as he set up his tent.

His tent was pretty large, meant for at least three people as well as some smaller Pokémon to get in. Putting his sleeping bag in it as well as a pair of bed sheets so the Pokémon wouldn't lay down on the cold floor he called out the two Houndoom to feel free and get inside. Meowth could join them later and Ash let out his Pikachu which usually slept with him at night.

Like that, Ash and his Pokémon fell asleep without a care in the world. They did hear faint yelps of pain every now and then because Brock had to take care of some rowdy pups but they just slept through it all

 **[ Flashback: End ]**

Now it was time for breakfast and today was Brock's turn to cook while Ash did some early morning training as well as giving the two new Houndoom some training methods for when they reach Oak's lab. He taught them how to use Roar efficiently as well as training their Crunch and Fire Fang with some special bite training equipment he got from Oak. They had weight as well as durability which let out a sound depending on the power of the bite-type attack.

The rest were just training physically to build up some good sweat and hunger. They'll train their special attacks another time as they usually change days they do this. His Amaura and Haunter were a surprise to the Houndoom. They recognized the stronger Pokémon instantly. Amaura had this hidden feeling of aggressiveness which only appeared in battle and Haunter was just a terror of the night in case you battle him in the darkness.

Ash felt that he was lucky the room they fought in had lights on because the moment his Haunter used Shadow Sneak it disappeared and he couldn't find it until he felt a shadowy hand on his shoulder.

Even now his Pokémon laughed at his girlish shriek. Thank Arceus that Brock wasn't there.

They kept training like this until they heard Brock call out to them and impatient barks of the Houndour and Houndoom sitting there. They obviously smelled the delicious food the human made and were eager to eat but they waited for the others on Brock's order.

Brock can be quite terrifying when he wants to be because when a pup tried to eat Brock threw a ladle straight at its head with deadly accuracy. His face alone scared the pup that moment because Brock does not appreciate bad manners when he cooks.

Ash nodded and called out to his Pokémon to tell them that they'll take a break and have breakfast. The Pokémon gave tired but eager cries as they all rushed to their respective plates. Even Talonflame, thanks to the use of some enigma berries that Ash receives from Oak every single day with the use of his pokédex's item transfer ability, had a pleasant and filling meal. While the berry's effects were unknown to everyone, even the professor, Talonflame loved them and it filled the giant Pokémon very easily. Brock even used some in Golett's food who carefully ate them and instantly appreciated it.

Ash took notes that royal species Pokémon seem to love the berry during the meal and sent it to Oak.

After their breakfast Ash decided to speak with his Haunter about aura.

"So, Trickster…" Ash started as he sat down on a fallen tree. His Pokémon were already training again to increase their strengths and speed. Even Amaura seemed to train and it appears that Amaura asked one of Brock's Houndoom to attack it while it used defensive moves.

" _Yes, Ash?_ " Like always, it came over as telepathy to the boy but he didn't mind. Ash was too focused on the subject.

Thinking back about the past, Ash was interested in the use of aura. "What can aura actually do? So far, I can enhance my body's abilities, speak to Pokémon and apparently formed a special bond with you before. You did mention that I contain a lot of aura as well."

Trickster nodded. " _I am a Ghost-type pokémon. We are considered the dead, the opposite of Aura which is something all Pokémon contain as they live. Before I perished in my life as a Zoroark, Aaron taught me many things._

 _Aura can be used to, in my words, ignore physics. Aaron managed to run on water and even climb the steepest mountains._

 _Aura can be used to see everything that is alive. It was something even I could use as a Zoroark. It was called 'Aura Sight'._

 _Aura was used for battle. Aaron could create aura spheres despite his lesser amount of aura compared to a Pokémon and he could even create temporary constructs like Bone Rush._

 _Aura can be used to create special bonds like you and I have. We grant each other part of our aura which then creates a link. Thanks to that link, despite you already being capable of listening to Pokémon, you can speak to them through telepathy even when they are far away or inside of a pokéball. It is a very useful tactical ability._

 _To be honest, I do not know all aspects of aura. You may need to visit Rota in the future,"_ Trickster explained a long list of what Aura can do. Ash understood what it meant though he had gained an anime-like sweatdrop at the thought of ignoring physics. Well, in his Haunter's opinion.

That sounded a little too much like _that_ anime about a boy and a nine tailed fox sealed inside of him. _Oh well._

"Then, why did you create a bond with me? You said something about possibly limiting things?"

" _Ah yes. Well, I explained that I am what can be considered the owner of energy that is the opposite of aura. Thanks to that, I can limit the use of aura as well as control it somewhat. This allows me to limit your usage during training or when you unconsciously put it in a part of your body. You've noticed that sometimes you run faster than you intend, do you not? That is because you subconsciously add aura to that part of your body. It's instinct. To train how to do it properly is what I am here for and why I created the bond. A bonus was that it allowed me to gain aura again which means life. That allows me to use some moves a normal Haunter will not be able to do and I can possibly use moves or abilities I learnt as a Zoroark._ "

Ash nodded in interest and wrote down everything that had been said by his new Haunter. He was definitely interested in the fact that he could train his aura with Haunter's instructions as Haunter most likely heard of training methods… if he remembers them.

The fact that Haunter can learn moves it learnt in its past live was the most interesting part though. "Is that why you can use Night Daze?"

Haunter shook its head in amusement. The boy was pretty sharp. " _Yes. When I passed away I was still filled with Aaron's aura. Thanks to that it allowed me to use Night Daze again, something no other Haunter will ever be able to learn._ "

Ash nodded with a grin. "Then… Can you train me in the use of aura?"

Haunter gave him a grin that spread so far Ash was surprised it didn't go past its body. " _Why of course, you are an aura user. Let's start with reinforcing your body and making you capable of fighting alongside fighting-type Pokémon._ "

The training that followed can be considered an experience worse than being beaten up by a Machamp.

* * *

It was around 2 P.M. that Brock told Ash they'll have to leave if they want to get some ground done. Ash agreed to it only after taking a bath in the river and when he was done, it was a good thing that there were no girls nearby.

Thanks to the use of aura, which Ash learnt from Haunter _can_ heat up things, he let the water steam off of his body. He stood pretty tall for his age, at 1.64 meters. His build was that of a swimmer. Compact, agile and ready for flexible movement. His muscles tensed every now and then under the focus of his aura, making his arms sometime bulge up. To be honest, the only reason he doesn't have a six pack is because in Ash's opinion, it's just a waste of time. He travels for a challenge and fights alongside his family. Not to show off his body.

It was only because Ash trained as much as he was allowed when he was a child that he has such a body. He does not train Pokémon without training himself after all. Gary and Leaf followed that principle though Leaf rarely gained much muscle, she was far more agile than the other two. Gary had a similar build to Ash.

Perfect for adventure. Perfect for combat.

His long, raven black hair that reached his shoulders was wet as it was _just_ above his maroon eyes. It was straight unlike the spikiness it had in the past. The hair was precisely how he kept it these days under his cap, as natural as possible. It was a lot more favourable compared to his past hair style - which made him look like a Haunter - now that he thought about it in amusement. His face still contained some baby fat yet it showed a maturity beyond its years thanks to his very expressive eyes. His cheeks were unmarked and Delia often mentioned how he used to have those cute zigzag marks on his cheeks. He sighed as he stretched his aching muscles thanks to Trickster's training. To be honest, it was brutal but left him satisfied. Perhaps that is how Pokémon feel after training?

His Amaura, Glacia, soon came up to him carrying a black shirt and black boxers. Pretty basic but it at least covered him when he'll pop up at the tents for his change of clothing.

"Thank you, Glacia," Ash thanked his fossil Pokémon who simply showed a kind smile.

" _You're welcome, Ash. I like taking walks as my muscles rest after training. You've captured two very loyal Pokémon for your mother and the professor, I'm quite surprised. They used to be wild but in a single night where you allowed them to be close and give them reasons to stay, they took a shine to you. I know you do not intend to have them in your main teams during your journey though. I saw their pokéballs being different,"_ the Amaura spoke up to her trainer.

Ash couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. His peach colored skin that left most women screaming in jealousy shone through the light as he put on his boxers.

Actually, were he to be less fit and more feminine built, he would definitely be mistaken for a beautiful girl from behind. Luckily his muscles changed most views of men. He didn't want to be hit on, _thank you kindly_.

"Yes, you are correct. The luxury balls are intended to give them luxury and comfort. As they rest inside, they feel much more different compared to you. That is the goal of such a special pokéball and it has the effect of lessening a pokémon's anger to its new trainer. That, alongside showing my trust as well as letting them sleep outside of those luxury balls helped a lot. I hope they'll like it at the lab and restaurant. Mom really needs more protection."

Glacia simply nodded before speaking up about her progress. " _My fossilization has caused me much problems with my physical abilities. Luckily, thanks to your training, I'm nearly back to my peak. I wish to evolve after reaching that stage."_

"Hm? What changed, to make you wish for evolution, Glacia?" Ash asked his shiny Amaura with a curious look. Putting on the black shirt it instantly latched onto his muscled body. Definitely getting too small for his journey.

" _I feel like the rest are leaving me behind. Hermit is starting to get much stronger after the evolution as if his limit from when he was a Frogadier has disappeared. To be honest, I feel like I am limited and need evolution to go further. I wish to get stronger and stand beside you, my trainer."_

Such a reason… Ash couldn't really reject. Neither would he if it was a bad reason but he'd tell her why he thought of it as bad if it was.

"I see… While I am glad you wish to stand beside me, you do not need to be the strongest. Yes, I wish for you to become the strongest you can be, but you do not need to force yourself to evolve because of it," Ash told his Amaura with a kind smile. Walking away from the river to the tents, his Amaura just walked beside him. Bare feet touching the pleasant, moist grass.

Glacia couldn't help but enjoy the presence of her trainer. That calm and kind aura of her trainer that made her feel like she was home. That aura that made her want to follow him. That made her want to become the strongest and stand alongside him…

" _I still wish to do so. I believe we do need a special moment for it. An Amaura that evolves creates an aurora that will show the entire region of one evolving, something that used to be considered small in the past. When we evolve, we become much larger and gain more intelligence compared to other 'old' Pokémon. I believe you call them fossil Pokémon?"_

Ash simply nodded, slightly interested in the story.

" _We used to be the Pokémon that others go to for wisdom or the need to solve something that requires intelligence. While we are the top, Cradily and Bastiodon stand just below us. Relicanth don't count as they were only found at extreme depths of the ocean… To be honest, only few Pokémon met them. I believe they survived what occurred back then…"_

Ash simply nodded, "What happened?"

Glacia shook her head, not wanting to remember it. " _I do not wish to speak of this yet. It was an event I'd rather never remember. Something that spoke of the foolishness of humanity and the Pokémon that followed them in the past,_ " She spoke with extreme distaste and equal amount of hatred.

Ash was surprised at seeing that but his hand reached for her head, stroking it gently. "Calm down, Glacia. We are now beside you as we journey through the lands."

The Amaura simply bowed its head in a submissive manner, letting Ash stroke her head.

"Let's go back soon. We've been away for a while and Brock wants to leave."

Glacia nodded with a smile, walking beside _her trainer_ again.

* * *

Arriving at the camp he spotted Brock sitting on a fallen tree – the same he sat on before – reading a book about the biology of many kinds of Pokémon. Interesting, albeit very boring if you're not focused on becoming a doctor. Well, in Ash's case a good trainer. He trains his Pokémon and teaches them about weak spots after all... They're just not ready for such accurate combat yet except for Pikachu.

"Hello Ash. Took your time, saw some girl to flirt with?" Brock teased with a grin as he looked up to his traveling partner.

Ash just shook his head in amusement. "Of course Brock, we'll find a girl in a river. If I did, I believe you would've heard a scream and dropped your book to peek."

Brock just laughed at the idea. It was true that he'd do such a thing… Maybe he really should lessen his perverseness… But no! He must become a _super_ pervert! Albeit more tame than others. You need charm after all!

Ash walked into his tent to put on his usual blue traveling jeans, a pair of red and white traveling shoes that are perfect to run on and his red and white jacket. He looked around for his usual red and white cap before finding it in his Amaura's jaws.

" _I believe you were looking for this?_ " Glacia asked in amusement.

"Thanks," Ash thanked his Pokémon as he put on his cap and then put on his necklace and belt. After attaching the belt he made sure all his cherish and spare cherish balls are on them as well as two luxury balls needed to train the two new Houndoom before sending them off.

" _You're welcome, Ash. Can you return me for today? I've stretched my legs enough,_ " Glacia asked her trainer who nodded and returned her to her cherish ball where she can rest. Checking all of them he began to return the tent to its previous state.

Honestly, technology can be so surprising. They're as compact as a pokéball when you press the right button and the weight isn't a problem. The technology used to do this is done in extreme secrecy though – not even Ash knows. Kurt also uses the technology without knowing its true functions with his special pokéballs.

After Ash finished he spotted his Talonflame, Greninja, Meowth, Pikachu and Haunter waiting for him. Chuckling, he spoke up, "Who wants to walk alongside me on Route 08?"

" _Of course I go!_ " Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, his usual place. He liked being under the sun.

Meowth shrugged, not caring. He can see the outside world anyway. "Ya can return me. Not much ta see and I stretched enoff. Feel free Ash," He was promptly returned at the request.

Falcon seemed to think about it before nodding to be returned. Route 08 will most likely have lots of trainers, he doesn't want Ash to attract the wrong attention. " _Return me, please. It would be far too troublesome to see trainers haunting you about me,_ " Falcon did speak in amusement there.

"I don't mind at all, Falcon. I'll return you if you wish me though," He returned his second Pokémon and turned to his Greninja and Haunter.

" _I wish to be returned, Ash. Right now my muscles need more recovery time,_ " Hermit spoke up with a nod. Ash returned it in respect as he returned his water/dark type Pokémon.

" _I'll travel with you in your shadow. To be honest, it's amusing to scare people with it. I can also teach you a bit about aura control on the road. You're still leaking it despite being in a bond with me, which is pretty scary as it speaks for the amount of aura you possess,_ " Trickster chuckled in amusement. The same telepathic way of speaking reached Brock as well whom perked up in interest. Aura eh? Maybe he can learn it in the future for medical uses. Ash uses some kind of heal pulse on his Pokémon at times as well. That's how the Houndour and Houndoom recovered so fast.

" _Keep us out of our pokéball. We'll scare off most of our former pack seeing how you've interested us. It's best to return Brock's pups and Houndoom though. They might get second thoughts,_ " The more mature Houndoom spoke up as the younger one nodded in agreement.

Ash shrugged as he put on his red and black bag. He kept his jacket open to reveal his tight black shirt to anyone who looked due to the heat of Kanto. It _is_ one of the hottest regions. Orange Islands and Hoenn are on that list too.

He did relay the news to Brock who nodded and returned all of the captured Pokémon.

Oh, and Ash asked Brock about the capturing limit of his whom replied with the fact that he was a former Gym Leader and the league approves of him having no limit.

 _He's so damn lucky._

Brock did keep out his Vulpix and Tyranitar, which wanted to keep walking with them.

Ash couldn't help but call out to Brock, "Trying to scare the weaker trainers off?"

"Maybe. Tyranitar wants to stay out, I don't make him return if he doesn't want to."

" _Thanks Brock! Always nice to us, that's why I follow you._ " Tyranitar's cheerful voice reached Ash's ears but the message was obvious as Tyranitar gave his trainer a bone crushing hug. Vulpix was whining in worry at seeing Brock scream and try to talk Tyranitar out of it.

Really, what a comedy act. Ash and his Pokémon gained an anime-like sweatdrop.

"Let's get going," Brock eventually groaned out when Tyranitar had enough and looked up at the beast that terrorized many having Vulpix on his head.

"Nice hat," Brock joked.

Vulpix wasn't amused and fired an ember in his face. He worried her for no reason it seems.

"OW!"

* * *

The two humans and their Pokémon were walking along the route. To be honest, the occasional Raticate or Meowth was scared off by the two Houndoom who kept walking around the humans to guard them.

"Houndoom, you don't have to you know. Trainers might think you're wild, please walk alongside us," Ash tried to call out to his recently captured Pokémon. Both perked up and ran back at that. Getting challenged was fun and all but annoying when you travel, the pack taught them that.

Pikachu giggled and jumped onto the mature one's back, riding it carefully. It seems the Houndoom didn't mind in the slightest.

"Ash," Brock called out as he put away his book. He was currently walking next to his Tyranitar. "I'd like to join your training sessions more. I realized this when the pack attacked but I had far better chances against them compared to you yet I ran away. I, as well as my Pokémon, need to become stronger."

Tyranitar and Vulpix both perked up in interest. Their trainer finally admitted he needed more training?

"Sure Brock!" Ash cheerfully spoke. Now his Pokémon had amazing training partners!

Brock smirked slightly as he caught Ash's thoughts. True, his Pokémon were beasts naturally but Ash's were beasts thanks to training.

They soon arrived at a trainer spot as apparently there were tons upon tons of trainers there. Most were battling and some perked up at the new people entering though soon scared off by the Tyranitar and the Houndoom who looked quite threatening.

Only a few were interested and soon enough two people walked up to the two traveling trainers.

"You two, are new here. We wish for a battle," the first one spoke who was apparently a male. This male had his eyes closed and a pokéball levitating on his shoulder.

The other companion was a female who merely gave them a dismissive glance and a nod. It seems that these two are psychic trainers of Kanto.

Brock looked at Ash before looking at the two of them. "Sure, why not?"

Ash merely shrugged. Psychics are a pain, Gary confirms that suspicion when he's set his mind on something. _Not that he can complain as he is the same._

"Then, we shall battle! Come forth, Alakazam!" The first one called out an Alakazam which looked _young_ as heck. Possibly evolved as soon as possible from a Kadabra.

The female threw out a pokéball with a smirk. Out of it came a tough looking Slowbro.

Ash blinked a few times at the opponents. It seems the male was far too arrogant for his own good and the silent female was far too haughty… Psychics and their damn personalities!

"Ah well… Go ahead, Pikachu," He nodded to his starter which jumped off of his shoulder. Brock simply shrugged and grabbed a pokéball, calling out his Golett.

The two psychics now stared _up_ at the giant Golett. That Golett was already at the size of a Golurk… They hadn't seen one before either. This was a complete unknown to the psychics… well, so was the Tyranitar and the Houndoom.

"W-what Pokémon is that?!" The male shrieked whereas the female looked calculating at them.

Ash simply tilted his head. Common knowledge suggests that most trainers do not study Pokémon outside of their region… How stupid. No wonder Kanto is considered the 'starter' region as most trainers don't even know about their neighbour region or the fact that there are 700 plus Pokémon around.

"Start the battle," Brock spoke impatiently. He too, noticed the arrogance of the Psychic. Probably some kid under Sabrina's school.

The female instantly made the Slowbro fire a Hydro Pump at the Golett – intent on finishing the 'bigger target' first. The male did the same by ordering his Alakazam to use psychic.

Golett merely stood still using its ghost abilities to cancel the psychic and took the hydro pump head on with a mere grunt and sliding back. It reared its arm back before using thunder punch and hitting the Alakazam which clearly looked surprised at the speed. It seems the trainer didn't command him to dodge as soon as possible either as Brock could only hear 'Oh no, Alakazam!'.

Ash and Pikachu looked irritated though. Pikachu took the lead in this and fired a massive thunder as to teach the lady not to underestimate small Pokémon ever again and the Slowbro never felt more pain.

The two trainers won and let out a sigh. Pikachu returned on Ash's shoulder whereas Golett returned to his pokéball. Such a pitiful battle.

"Anyone else?" Ash called out to the trainers who now looked interested in beating them. It didn't take long before a massive amount of battles occurred for the trainers.

* * *

It was now midnight when they were finally done. Ash kept using his bastardized Heal Pulse on the Pokémon and even now they were drop-dead tired. Brock was panting a little at how many commands he had to hand out but he was glad for all the experience.

The two had a pair of amazing battles. Brock's Onix fought a Steelix for once and Brock learnt some future combat usage as both Pokémon rammed their heads against each other. Onix lost in the end thanks to Dragonbreath as he wasn't a steel type yet, but it was still a good lesson. His Roselia also lost against a girl's recent Houndoom capture probably lucky finding a stray Houndoom from its pack.

Ash fought against a powerful Jolteon with his Greninja and lost quite badly. That was some serious firepower and Ash was determined to train Hermit to a level so strong that he'd never lose against an electric-type like that again. That Jolteon was speed personified alongside some powerful thunder attacks… Greninja did fight well. Meowth also lost against a tough Vileplume when sleep powder took effect but that battle could have gone either way.

In the end, they did leave with a lot of prizemoney. While they lost a bit at the end, battling so many trainers was good experience. Though Ash was forced not to use his Talonflame and Amaura as those two are _far_ too rare and seeing so many trainers made him hesitate. Brock had no such qualms and used Golett to his heart's content. His Pokémon weren't shiny and/or known to have died off. Most shrugged off Golett as being normal for its species.

Well, you can't hide a shiny's sparkles after being released. Not even Ash's cherish ball. It was probably part of the annoying technology.

"Man… That was tough. We need to visit Nurse Joy for real," Ash complained as they were finally finished.

Brock merely grunted as he was bandaging his Vulpix's back leg. It was hurt thanks to a Scyther's slash attack but Vulpix managed to win that one.

Ash shook his head. "We need to up our training. This is getting ridiculous."

Brock grunted again as they were walking through the night. Trickster kept in the shadows and the two Houndoom were simply tagging along. Pikachu was in the pokéball.

Actually, the two Houndoom beat all of their targets too and weren't hurt seriously. Trickster? Trickster started to battle once it became dark and let it be known that it was only thanks to his Night Daze and extremely enraged expression at hearing some of the trainers speak about getting his trainer's Pokémon after winning.

Zoroark are fiercely loyal when owned. Trickster was the same, even as a Haunter now.

They seemed to have interested a girl that started traveling after deciding to leave the _Battle Castle_.

When they were finished, a girl with long blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes walked up to them. She wore a pink and white dress alongside some pink and white shoes that looked quite comfortable yet regal. Her entire expression oozed richness yet no arrogance. Inside of her blonde hair were a pair of ribbons gifted to her by _Darach_.

She said that when they reach Saffron City and finish the gym battle that she'll challenge Ash to a battle and see his progress as a trainer as well as growth. She had seen his Pokémon and was impressed at the sight of a boy, only two years younger than her if she guessed right, battle so well. Even she took a _year_ of training to reach that level.

This boy only had three badges too!

Well, thinking back Ash had to say that he was impressed at her skill as well. She used a Gallade to defeat all her challengers there as she merely sat and drank some tea.

Ash wisely didn't challenge her when he was watching the battle. To be honest, he was surprised that such a girl actually travelled.

Shaking away those thoughts, Ash walked on. "We're near Saffron City so get on with it. I want a warm bed soon."

Brock grunted. He was too tired to give a reply.

* * *

They did reach the Saffron City Pokémon Center at 4 A.M. and had to fight off another small pack of Houndour. Luckily there were no Houndoom so Ash let his Amaura out to have some fun. A couple of rock-type attacks and the hounds were down for the count.

The Houndoom still looked mollified at seeing their former pack losing so easily. While yes, they saw the training that happened and were exhausted after they finished the minor training Ash did, they expected more of their former group.

Ah well, can't win them all.

When they arrived and let their Pokémon be handled by the surprised Nurse Joy they sat down and drank some water. It took 10 entire minutes to see that Nurse Joy returned and handed over the recovered Pokémon with a compliment at seeing no wounds on them and only exhaustion.

Like that, they went to bed and wouldn't wake up until 12 P.M.

* * *

"Yaaaawn! Man I slept like a rock!" Ash spoke cheerfully as he walked down. He already took a quick shower and put on some fresh clothing that was now inside of the washing machine. Brock's were there as well as Brock was sipping some coffee while reading over a book that belonged to a Nurse Joy. This book spoke about communication between healer and Pokémon.

He finished his books _fast_.

"Good morning, Ash," Brock said cheerfully at his companion. It was obvious that he had a pleasant sleep and the coffee helped in that aspect.

Ash nodded in agreement, returning the good morning. "So, today I'll challenge Sabrina. I want to battle that Caitlin girl, she was _really_ strong!"

Brock chuckled in amusement. Ash was always focusing on Pokémon and battles.

"So for now… Time for a warm-up!" Ash ran up to Nurse Joy and rented a special training room in the Pokémon Center and went for some training. Brock joined only after a good 15 minutes as he finished his coffee and book to start the training.

While the Pokémon were training, the trainers weren't idle either. Ash was doing various training such as push ups and aura control whereas Brock was doing the same except for the aura. Trickster explained to Brock that he'll unlock his aura after spending some time with Ash, seeing as Ash is an aura guardian and can share the ability with others but only after some time and learning how to unlock another trainer's aura.

They trained for a good two hours as a warming up for the day, ate their usual food which was still greedily eaten by the Houndoom, Haunter and Golett seeing how they're new to such great meals and rested at Joy's.

It was a good day when they left the Pokémon center. Saffron City is mostly filled with large amounts of hotels and various restaurants around the area for the people who live there. There was zero nature to be seen here and that saddened Ash who was used to it.

"Let's do this, Brock!" Ash cheerfully spoke and ran towards the gym with the excitement of a hyperactive Chimchar.

Brock ran with him seeing how walking could get him lost. Caitlin, who also arrived at Saffron City managed to catch the two running to the gym and smiled in interest. It seems she was on time.

"I wonder if that boy will win. Perhaps, I will teach him more about battling. He is young but very talented and hardworking… I wouldn't mind teaching such a boy, plus I may learn something out of it.." Her soft voice which could charm any heart could be heard by her companion – a Gallade.

" _Of course, Mistress. I felt the power of Aura within that boy, he is destined to be a great trainer._ "

"Oh?" Caitlin turned to her Pokémon. "Do tell me more about this 'aura' you speak of. Let's do so as we'll enter the spectator seats of Sabrina's gym."

" _As you wish, milady,_ " the Gallade spoke with manners and a bow. Definitely Darach's fault that her precious little Kirlia became such a gentleman.

* * *

The moment Ash arrived an old man walked up them with a stern look.

"Don't even think about challenging Sabrina's gym and turn away. Go beat another gym instead of this one, you'll definitely lose kid. You're still too weak and without any type advantages against the psychic-type."

Ash didn't take well to that and called out the younger one of his Houndoom. The Houndoom came out of it with a yawn before focusing and letting a glare out to the old man. Definitely called out to intimidate.

"Eh? What Pokémon is that?"

Ash shook his head and returned Houndoom without saying a word. The hound wasn't complaining as she returned to her luxury ball.

"Just let us pass," Brock commented before Ash got really angry. It seems that Ash can get angered by some old man. Well, he would too if his hard work and Pokémon get insulted.. Tyranitar would've had fun to scare the man.

The man shook his head. "Your grave," He commented without a care and teleported away. It seems his scare tactic didn't work again. _Gee? Who knows why?_

Ash let out a sigh as he gathered his thoughts and aura began to envelop him and Brock. Ash didn't like to take chances and took the lead to the gym area.

Brock merely followed, interest in the blue glow around him. So this is aura? Trickster was teaching Ash well and it seems Ash knew of Sabrina's emotional instability at the moment too.

When they got inside of the gym they could see a perhaps 15 year old girl sit on top of a oak chair. On top of her lap was a little girl that giggled and held a pokéball in her hands.

Instead of the elder, the younger one spoke. "Are you my challenger? How interesting… I can't read your minds! If we win, we get to play with you! If you win, you get the badge!"

The little girl giggled again as she called out an Abra. This was definitely not a normal Abra as Ash could see the power steamrolling off of the psychic type… That Abra was close to evolution.

"Let's do this, Hermit." Ash called out his water/dark type Pokémon and the little girl's red eyes shone with interest.

"What Pokémon is that?"

Ash chuckled slightly, "It's a Greninja. A Water/Dark type Pokémon from Kalos."

The little girl tilted her head. "What is a dark type?"

"You'll see in our battle, little girl," Ash teased her slightly.

"Grr.. Abra, take out that Pokémon!"

"Hermit, go wild! No Protean!"

Hermit understood the reason and consciously cancelled the use of his hidden ability. The use of Protean would turn him into a single type and since dark types are unable to be affected by psychic attacks…

Abra seemed to teleport in front of Hermit with a thunder punch charged. The Greninja's eyes widened before disappearing and using smokescreen around the area.

Now Abra was in slight disadvantage. He couldn't read the opponent's mind and neither the trainer's so he didn't know what to do… instead, the Abra began to glow.

It grew and grew until it became a yellow, humanoid Pokémon. Its two large, pointed ears poked up and it had a red star on its forehead. From its newly gained snout sprouted two mustaches. Its chest was a dark brown color that almost looked like armor and on its stomach were three lines that had a wave pattern. It also gained a large, thick tail and now held a spoon on its hand.

Hermit seemed to have waited the moment it finished the evolution before appearing with the use of Feint Attack and slammed into the Kadabra with dark type energy. He then disappeared within the smokescreen and re-used it to make sure the field was filled.

Kadabra let out a cry of pain that the elder of the two on the chair let out as well… as if they're connected.

The Kadabra began to growl in anger and used a large amount of psychic energy to blast away the smokescreen. What followed up next was a massive amount of water shuriken being fired at the Kadabra.

Using Psychic, the Kadabra began to turn them around and fire them at the Greninja which began running around the field in a high speed that the stars couldn't seem to follow. It kept moving in complicated maneuvers. Break, right, spin, zigzag. The Greninja didn't stop at all as it dodged the moves and the occasional extra psychic that Kadabra tried to use on the Kalos starter didn't work in the slightest. That surprised the Kadabra to let out a confused grunt before Greninja multiplied with the use of Double Team and now charged at the Kadabra.

Seeing no choice, the Kadabra used psychic on the water stars and began to surround itself to make sure which one is the real deal. Its left fist began to glow white and electricity surrounded it as the Kadabra waited for the Greninja to appear.

All of Greninja's double team clones began to run at the Kadabra with the main one following up in the second row. The clones charged at the Kadabra with Ice Punch but the first row didn't do anything. The second row revealed the real Greninja to the Kadabra and it fired an ice beam at the Kadabra from up close to freeze it.

Sadly, Kadabra had excellent reflexes and teleported backwards. Its long mustaches were now completely frozen and it was clearly surprised. Its bait tactic didn't seem to work on the ninja Pokémon.

Hermit took no chances and began to use another smokescreen that made the Kadabra grunt and use another wave of psychic energy. As if completely forgetting about the earlier move, the Kadabra was yet again hit with the Feint Attack and this time slammed towards the middle of the field.

Ash looked at the teenage girl on the chair, noticing that she was letting out tears out of pain. Why did she feel pain because of the Kadabra?

Seeing the need to end it quickly, Ash decided to take command.

"Dark. Pulse." He muttered softly but his loyal Greninja heard it and grunted. It held its two webbed hands close and inside of it came an orb of dark energy before the Greninja held it forward and out of it came massive pulses of dark energy.

The Kadabra grunted and tried to use another psychic attack on the energy to return it back like with the water shuriken, but just like before, the Kadabra was hit straight on with the full brunt of the attack. This time, both Pokémon and teenage girl let out cries of pain.

* * *

Caitlin watched the battle and saw the Greninja take down the Kadabra ruthlessly. That's true tactic against those who were made for psychic attacks and the physical attacks made a good impression on her. It seems that Ash trained his Pokémon very well in their aspects. The Greninja was very agile and fast, most likely knowing Acrobatics as well.

The Gallade next to her glowed with blue eyes, using Miracle Eye to read where the Greninja was. It was a very good tactic as the Kadabra didn't seem to know the psychic type move.

" _It seems this battle it over milady,_ " the Gallade turned to his trainer and Caitlin let out a pleased hum.

"The boy is good and used the right Pokémon. Sabrina is foolish and lost herself in her desire to train her psychic abilities. I remember when I lost control and showed huge amounts of psychic energy but this… This is just foolish. She linked her mind with the Kadabra's and now feels everything the Kadabra feels as well as using an illusion to show her human side."

" _Indeed. Shall we notify the league?_ "

"No, we wait. I am curious."

* * *

The child disappeared as the girl grunted and stood up. The connection was gone and for some reason after the pulse's minor effects reached her so did her psychic abilities… Was she disconnected?

Standing up wobbly, she walked to her starter. Her precious Kadabra and went down on her knees to hold up the weakened Kadabra that let out a pained grunt and panted slightly.

"It appears I won, Sabrina," Ash walked up to the girl as he looked at her. His glowing eyes that looked like a fierce red and now a shiny Haunter creeping out of his shadow to lean on his shoulder looked quite intimidating to the girl. Sabrina couldn't help but shiver…

This is a child? That's definitely not true. She lost completely with no chance in winning. Why is that?!

"How…?!" she managed to grit out as Ash looked at her.

Shaking his head he held out his hand for the badge. "I did say I'd tell you after the match. Dark-type Pokémon are immune to psychic type. I'm surprised you haven't heard… you most likely never battled a trainer here with that typing. Typical as they're all rare in Kanto. You might meet more from here on out as there's a recent pack of Houndour and Houndoom in the area."

Sabrina growled slightly as she grabbed a badge in her pocket. She _hated_ losing… But… Wait, hate?

When did she learn to hate? When did she even have emotions?

Surprised at the feelings she had, she blinked a few times and soon enough a worried woman transformed back from her former doll-like state. The husband instantly teleported them to Sabrina's side. "Sabrina!"

"F-father? Mother? What are you doing here?" she asked the two adults as Ash stared at them with his eyes. His Haunter's eyes began to glow a dark red as if daring them to get angry at his trainer.

"Y-you remember? Dear, we missed you!" Her father excitedly embraced his daughter as Ash let out a small grunt of dissatisfaction.

First the arrogant Surge, now this? Kanto's gym leaders have some serious problems. Lance needs to do his Kanto side of the job better… He heard that Johto had no complains other than Whitney crying when she lost or when Clefairy became officially classified as Fairy-type in Johto.

Oh the madness that occurred that day… It was a bad day to be Lance.

"Badge." Ash grit out. He wasn't going to stand here and listen to their emotional conversation. He finally won the battle that so many were afraid of and _so easily_ that he was angered and disappointed. To be honest, he had more fun battling wild Pokémon that followed their instinct than that Kadabra.

Sabrina's mother perked up as she quickly grabbed a badge and threw it at the boy. "Thank you young man. Please visit us whenever you need advice on psychic-type Pokémon. We owe you as much," She smiled kindly at the boy who nodded. This time in appreciation.

At least he got something out of it.

"C'mon Brock, let's leave," Ash turned around and went towards the exit. He was severely disappointed in the psychic gym. An unstable leader that couldn't even battle her own type disadvantage? That's just pathetic Lance. The fact that he could practically _hear_ the psychics in the area talk about winning without a ghost type made it worse. Leaving with Brock, Ash turned around and saw Caitlin walking up to him with a pleasant smile.

"My, my… You're so angered. I can practically feel it in the air, was this not to your liking as you won the battle?" She asked curiously.

Ash shook his head as he took deep breaths. "I was so disappointed. Leaders in Kanto are severely overestimated and wild Pokémon are harder at times. To be honest, I could've lost against Brock and the Cerulean City gym's Daisy. Surge was pretty decent too but this… this is pathetic. She didn't even know of a type immune to psychic."

Caitlin looked slightly apologetic, "True. I can feel your emotions and you're still dissatisfied… How about a battle? I will show you how a real psychic-type user fights." She smiled pleasantly at the end, her cerulean blue eyes glowing with excitement.

Brock chuckled next to Ash. It seems he attracted the attention of a strong trainer. The blue glow around Ash and Brock disappeared as Trickster kept leaning on Ash's other shoulder to stare at the trainer in front of it.

" _Hmm… You're strong,_ " Trickster's telepathy reached both Caitlin and her Gallade which let out a grunt of surprise.

" _You are not bad either, Haunter. A ghost type that can use telepathy is unique,_ " Gallade replied with his own and soon afterwards the conversation became private to the two as Trickster floated towards Caitlin's Gallade.

"Well… I look forward to a battle. Shall we do it at the dojo next to us? It appears that it counts as a gym so I might as well fight that after our battle," Ash finally smiled.

Brock stayed silent as he walked ahead. He too, was curious about the dojo. He heard of it recently becoming a gym but it wasn't publically known yet or was a secret. Ah well, another badge challenge for Ash right?

Though it seemed that Ash preferred to battle the main 8. Those are the hardest challenges after all.

Caitlin finally showed a challenging grin. "Look forward to our battle, Ash. I will show you the power of one of the elite trainers. I, Caitlin 'Lapis' Lazuli, former battle castle owner will become your opponent. Do not blink when we battle and fight with your best."

Ash grinned. "You shall be challenged by Ash 'Red' Ketchum of Pallet Town, protégé of Professor Oak. Starting trainer of the year… Be surprised by my challenge, for I shall grant you a real one."

* * *

Getting inside of his battle mode, Ash decided to bring out the big guns. They decided on a two-on-two battle. Caitlin will use one of her recent Pokémon and one of her older ones so Ash will do the same.

They were now standing inside of the dojo. It was surprisingly based on a Japanese dojo which meant tatami mats in the resting areas and a clean, wooden floor for the challengers and training areas. The grounds were made of special wood grown with the use of various Pokémon as to increase the durability. The entire field was the usual League one. Ash stood on the red side whereas Caitlin was on the white side.

" **Challenger Ash 'Red' Ketchum shall battle against Caitlin 'Lapis' Lazuli! This battle will be a two on two battle!** " Brock's voice reached the ends of the dojo as all of the trainees were sitting in seiza to watch the battle.

"I shall go first. Come on out, my dear Espeon," Caitlin called out her newest Pokémon; Espeon. The psychic type Pokémon let out a cry of its name as it landed with grace that is rarely seen and its eyes began to glow blue with energy. This one definitely trained hard.

Ash showed a grin as he held out a Pokémon he'll reveal to this dojo. It's not like his Pokémon can remain a secret forever. People become suspicious. "Glacia, show them your beauty."

Out of Ash's cherish ball – which Caitlin noted to be custom made – came a Pokémon that shocked even her. A blue dinosaurian Pokémon came out of it. It had a long, white neck and a short, stubby tail. Above its large, sky blue eyes were two sail structures which were a beautiful mix of white and a light lavender. Its white body shone brightly and adorning its body was a sky blue crystal similar to its eyes. This crystal also began to glow as the entire air began to grow cold. Ash told his Pokémon to go all out, so Glacia will do so kindly.

"An Amaura… How rare, and its coloring… A shiny one. Young man, you hold a very special Pokémon," the leader of the Dojo Gym commented with a lack of breath. The beauty of the Pokémon that comes out of a Sail Fossil couldn't be spoken out loud.

Caitlin simply stared with wide eyes at the rarity but that soon changed to a pair of sharp and calculating cerulean. "Espeon, start off with psybeam!"

Ash smiled lightly as he didn't order at all. The Amaura let out a cry before two Lightscreens formed in front of the beam and guided it straight back to the Espeon. The Lightscreen were reinforced to send it backwards similar to Mirror Coat, though this was more like making them act as a mirror to a ray of light.

The Espeon, however, showed graceful movements yet again as she jumped into the air but Glacia didn't let it go so easily. Glacia opened her jaws and fired a concentrated blizzard towards the airborne psychic-type that was immediately regretting the option to jump into the air. Caitlin let out a surprised gasp, "Psychic, Espeon! Guide it away!"

Sadly, Blizzard is not something that is a massive ray of ice. It's a literal blizzard from the ancient ice-type Pokémon and despite protecting itself for a while, the psychic-type Pokémon was sent back into the air with its body appearing to be slightly frozen. Its previous, beautiful purple fur looked white thanks to the cold ice.

Caitlin glared at the Amaura that dared to hurt her Espeon! "Espeon, use Shadow Ball!" The Espeon's mouth opened wide before a giant shadow ball was charged in front of it. That was definitely some power…

Ash didn't speak though. No, he let Glacia take care of this even if she lost. This was a new addition to Caitlin's team and the Amaura was part of his pretty fast. She should be capable of doing this even if the Espeon is a powerhouse.. after all, power means nothing against his Amaura's great defense.

Firing the giant orb of ghost energy at the Amaura, the Espeon let out a loud cry of challenge. The Amaura however, stood still and its eyes began to glow much brighter compared to before as a bright purple began to surround its body. Mirror Coat was active.. She'll definitely take damage from that powerful move, but her amazing defense could handle this. The orb soon hit the Pokémon head on and Caitlin smirked at the cry of pain from the Amaura.

What she didn't expect was what came next.

An even larger, _twice as large_ , shadow ball raced towards her Espeon thanks to the Amaura's mirror coat. She didn't even _know_ that an Amaura can learn that! The powered up shadow ball hit the Espeon dead-on and caused the Pokémon to fall unconscious to the ground, making Ash the winner of this match.

"Espeon!" Caitlin quickly raced to her newest team member which let out a weak cry and was definitely the loser of this match.

Ash called out to Glacia and pet her head like usual. Seeing the light lavender become a pure blue made him smile. Of course his Glacia is happy at winning. "Congratulations at winning one of your first few trainer battles… Wild ones don't beat these, do they?"

The Amaura shook her head as she stood next to her training, awaiting Caitlin's next actions.

"Good job dear.. Please rest well," Caitlin smiled at the Espeon and quickly returned her.

Standing up, she turned to Ash with a far more determined look. "I will give you this win… Let's see if you can beat my next Pokémon," she smirked as she called out another psychic type Pokémon.

A Gardevoir. The looks don't do it justice as the Pokémon curtsied to its opponent before turning to her trainer and nodded.

"Gardevoir is one my first Pokémon. She's the third strongest Pokémon I have," Caitlin smiled pleasantly at her Pokémon and Ash began to grin widely.

"Let's take this outside then. I'm going to call out a Pokémon a little too large for this gym," Ash spoke up. If she used power, he will too.

"Oh? Another one I haven't seen?" Caitlin looked curious as the Dojo Leader eagerly stood up. The battles are very interesting and he'd give the two of them his gym's badge without any problems if they wanted to battle him afterwards.

"Yeah. He's far too rare compared to others so… I'd rather do this in a closed off area," Ash smirked slightly as Brock began to chuckle loudly. This'll be _very_ interesting.

The leader of the dojo guided the two battling trainers to an open field in the forest. Looking around, Ash nodded in agreement. This'll be a good spot.

"Show them your power, Falcon." Throwing out a pokéball, a _massive_ Talonflame came out of its pokéball and it let out a screech that could be heard all the way in Saffron City. The Pokémon began to fly upwards as flames began coating its wings similar to that of a Moltres, as if showing its power. The Talonflame was _at least_ four times the usual size of a normal one and reached the size of the Kyogre that was previously spotted on television.

Didn't they see the shadow of this Pokémon before? They never captured the Talonflame on television because seeing a legendary was far more interesting.

Gardevoir, however, fought many times with Cynthia's Garchomp and was used to extremely taunting Pokémon. The Pokémon began to glow a bright blue as psychic energy was released from its very being.

"Gardevoir, start with Calm Mind. Then move on to Charge Beam," the Gardevoir instantly began to close her eyes as waves of psychic energy began to become more concentrated, far stronger. The energy that surrounded the Gardevoir also became fiercer and soon enough the Gardevoir held out two hands that held a crackling, electric orb. Firing out of it came a massive ray of electricity that the Talonflame was surprised to see.

Surprised, but not unable to dodge. Twisting its body in midair, it dodged it but just barely as it saw the electricity being absorbed by the Gardevoir _once again_ boosting its abilities.

It seems this opponent was gradually becoming tougher and tougher. Seeing the need to start off, Talonflame began to _multiply_ itself because of agility and also began to use tailwind as to boost its speed even further. Speed against power, another typical setup… or was it?

"Gardevoir, thunder wave!" A wave of electricity hit the Talonflame head on as it became half of its speed… but still faster than the Gardevoir in front o fit.

"Unlock Gale Wings, show them your brave bird."

The Talonflame began to let out another massive screech as flames became more visible. They began to glow a fierce white as the Talonflame unlocked its hidden ability, wings of pure white falling down as a result. Soon enough, the Pokémon began to glow a fierce white as well and the flames began to get larger and larger as the flying type attack boosted the fire type.

The massive flying/fire type Pokémon began to fly downwards towards the Gardevoir in surprising speed. Caitlin, however, was used to fighting these opponents with her Gardevoir.

"Teleport! Then move on to another charge beam!" She cried out as the Gardevoir teleported _behind_ the Talonflame. Soon enough, another orb of electricity was in her hands and fired at the Pokémon that was now moving upwards again.

"Spin! Power up the Brave Bird and show them your real speed!" Falcon began to spin at a high rate, becoming a literal tornado of fire as it flew upwards towards the sky. It screeched yet again making trainers that looked at the forest cry out in surprise at seeing a Pokémon looking _far_ too similar to Moltres. It obviously attracted them.

The bird then began to spin faster and faster as it flew higher and finally… it went downwards. Like a real speed demon, it flew towards the Gardevoir with full intention of taking it down as soon as possible.

"Gardevoir, protect," Caitlin called out and Ash had to grunt in surprise. Protect huh? Let's see her protect against that.

The spinning flying and fire type met the green barrier of protect and the flames enveloped the shield and Gardevoir within. The flying/fire type did not give up though, spinning at the same speed as it was trying to penetrate the barrier.

Caitlin saw that the Pokémon wasn't stopping in the slightest and had to get slightly worried. Heck, not even Cynthia would let her _Garchomp_ take such a move. That move can be considered the tougher version of Giga impact, added with an element _and_ penetrating abilities. That Talonflame hadn't even finished training its body physically and it was so strong!

"Gardevoir, teleport. Finish it with thunder! Full power!"

The barrier still stood as the Gardevoir teleported away before it began to glow a bright yellow. Similar to Pikachu, a dress-like fashion of electricity appeared on its body as it fired a massive thunder towards the Talonflame. Thanks to calm mind and the uses of Charge Beam, it was _definitely_ powered up.

A good thing out of this was that the fire around Falcon protected it.. partially. The bad thing? The move was _far_ too much for the Talonflame's current ability. With a single hit as the Talonflame was still focused on the barrier and couldn't move away so easily, it was hit dead on with the massive thunder and a screech of pain reached everyone's ears.

Ash, seeing that, grabbed his cherish ball and returned his second Pokémon without any hesitation. _He will not let his Pokémon get hurt more than necessary._

"I lose," He admitted without any shame. That power was far too much for Talonflame. He still had to train for many years if he wanted to catch up to that Gardevoir, which most likely will also train harder.

Caitlin now showed an approving smile. Yes, that was the option a good trainer followed. "Good job, Gardevoir. I expected nothing less of you," She complimented her Psychic/Fairy Pokémon which simply curtsied to her trainer before walking towards Gallade and stand next to it.

Heck, even Glacia had to stare. That is what a Pokémon can reach under a trainer huh? Even wild Pokémon she fought back in the ancient days couldn't beat that… Even _that event_ carried no Pokémon of that amount of power.

This is what the future holds? _She looks forward to it, right on Ash's side._

* * *

"It was a great battle, Ash," Caitlin's cheerful voice reached her former challenger. Yes, her Espeon lost against his Amaura but she did show him that arrogance won't get him far.

Not that he was arrogant. She was probably just reminding him that there was always someone better. She knew that herself.

"Yes, I admit it was. Your Gardevoir is very strong.. I struggle to see what might be your strongest Pokémon," Ash actually _shivered_. That Gardevoir was nearly at _Oak's Dragonite's_ level in thunder… though the dragon did not boost itself.

"Ah, my strongest is Gothitelle. She was my first Pokémon. Gardevoir and Gallade are my second and third respectively but Gallade likes battling more and so is stronger than Gardevoir," Caitlin introduced her psychic types who nodded in agreement with the assessment of their trainer.

Ash nodded seriously. She was very powerful.

"But, I'm going to heal my Pokémon now," Ash called out his paralyzed, unconscious Talonflame and reached out with his hands.

Glowing bright blue to make sure he didn't miss a _single_ wound of his Pokémon he fired massive waves of _healing_ aura, his version of Heal Pulse. The wounds began to close up extremely fast as the giant Talonflame's burnt body from the thunder also began to become normal.

Heck, even the paralysis went away when Ash swiftly threw a cheri berry in its beak and it swallowed without hesitation. Truly trusting your trainer makes things go faster as the Pokémon was soon fully healed but completely exhausted. Seeing that, Ash quickly returned his Talonflame.

Caitlin was actually _staring_ at the boy performing such feats. "H..how?" she asked for the first time showing hesitance when speaking.

"Hm? Oh! I can use aura… I learnt to do this when I was little," Ash admitted as he was standing there as if it didn't tire him out in the slightest.

It didn't. He's an aura monster. A single Lucario can spot him from _miles_ away. Albeit as a very, _very_ dark red spot in its aura sight.

"Aura.. again. Gallade explained that it's something all living beings contain. How come you can manipulate it?" She asked with a curious voice.

Ash rubbed the back of his head, taking off his cap for a while. He just hung it on his belt.

"Well, I trained my aura after meeting this aura guardian. He told me about aura and his Lucario told me I possessed a lot of aura. Called me the 'Chosen One' or something like that and to be honest it still scares me because I met Kyogre who called me the same…"

Ash rubbed the side of his arm, remembering when he almost died…

"So yes, I can control it. Sometimes it comes naturally, like how I learnt to heal someone," Ash finished quickly before questions could come about Kyogre.

Albeit shocked by the news of a _Kyogre_ , Caitlin managed to keep her cool. "I see," she began as she turned to her Pokémon and both nodded. They could read his emotions as well as potential. Turning back to Ash, she offered a smile. "Let me join you on your journey. I wish to see how you will do. If you wish, I can even train alongside you to prepare you for the league," Caitlin offered.

Seeing the amazing offer, Ash nearly _teleported_ in front of Caitlin and shook her hand without any hesitance. Heck, he even added aura that forced Caitlin to feel what he contains and to say she was _shocked_ was calling a Magikarp weak.

That kid is a _monster_ in disguise. Still, she shook it without any problems and revealed a smile.

"I look forward to it!" Ash grinned happily as Caitlin finally let out a giggle. Such a cute kid.

Sure, he was two years younger but… She's allowed to call him kid until he hits 13.

The leader of the dojo soon interrupted them with a large grin on his face. He was completely in the mood for a battle, right now!

"Kid! Challenge my gym! I'll give you the badge whether you win or lose. After seeing those two powerhouses, you reached the goal of my gym – absolute power and still contain forms of technique! I just want to battle you!"

Oh, just to note… That gym leader can be considered a Machamp in muscles. Holy hell that man trained for his life. He looked around 60 years old with a large beard, wearing a pair of white training gi with a black belt that has a league symbol imprinted on it. His gray hair was slicked back with the use of gel.

"S-sure… Let me battle you tomorrow, I'll leave for Celadon the same day," Ash managed to call out. Heck, even Brock blinked at the sight of seeing Ash being nearly thrown around by the man's powerful grip.

Now that's what he calls… _a muscle man._

* * *

 **Hello everyone!**

 **I read your comments and decided to work on each point. One was about Ash's looks… Well, some might say that he's like a lot of pictures that were made of Red that you can find in Google Images. His black hair is just slightly longer and reaches his shoulders and his eyes are a far darker colour than Red's.**

 **Now… third traveling companion achievement gained. It's only because someone mentioned Sabrina and psychic connections that this poked up.**

 **Caitlin left the battle tower for a few years to train. After that, she became an elite four.**

 **This fits the story. This fits the requirements I made. This fills the damn goal of teaching Ash about girls.**

 **Expect a lot of comical moments between the two. After all, Caitlin will only travel with a _gentleman_. Ash can mature with her. Let it be known that her anger can scare off a Gyarados too as she is psychic. **

**Now… No evolutions. Sabrina's gym was a joke (it is if you think about it. Kadabra, one on one. No commands. Cannot read mind. Easy win and so Caitlin made it worth it later on. Celadon will go different as he'll finally get the right challenges… I just couldn't write Sabrina as 'hard' considering that Ash owns dark type and I seriously doubt that Dark-type Pokémon are often used in Kanto.**

 **For now. You all see that I add swarms and soon-to-be casual Kanto Pokémon to the list. It'll become like Kalos, all kinds of Pokémon can be found.**

 **Also, Vital Info mentioned something I completely overlooked... Love interest for Brock. Right now the ranking's like this!**

Daisy: 1 ( Vital Info! Makes me have some good ideas too! )  
Clair: 1 ( My input for ideas! )

 **I hope you like today's chapter though! I tried my best. Mistakes can be seen, if you do… please tell me. I don't like to make big mistakes. I sometimes confuse names as I write simply because I write them while I'm in a _car_ or on the move and I have to think about goals and not the moments. **

**Still, I do my best for you guys! I hope you all like it and see you next time!**

 **Celadon City will be Trickster's playground and Brock will gain a Steelix and Golem!**


	9. Road to Celadon City

**Hello, hello! I heard some call my name so here's my game. Another chapter of Road of the Master.**

 **That sounded horrible, didn't it?**

 **Anyway! No reviews yet since I haven't even waited a day for this upload. I'll put in another list ( this time with the correct info, sorry Vital! ) of potential interests for Brock. Right now we have:**

 **Daisy Oak - 1 vote  
Clair Blackthorn - 1 vote**

 **Feel free to add more or vote on one! To be honest, I'm pretty open with this. Just don't make him fall in love with Delia, you'll have a talk with an angry Ash.**

 **Now, I wanted to upload this chapter and spotted a reviewer mentioning that I forgot about the giant Jigglypuff.**

 **Short answer: Titan hates her. Fairy type 'n all that shenanigans. You'll see it when we get there. I'll do something special for that event... Jigglypuff isn't well liked because when that Jiggylpuff sings you might as well lose your hearing.**

 **Now… Love for Ash, he's 12. Yes, he can have little crushes every now and then during his journey but actual, proper relationships can start in possibly Hoenn or Sinnoh. So no, Caitlin will not be a lover option (yet, maybe? Some who remember know that she becomes an elite four of Unova in the future).**

 **Anyway! Enjoy today's chapter everyone! This chapter will call some heads to turn to me in outrage for doing something that corrupts originality of pokémon but… Bring it on! I got my bunker for your missiles.**

 **As always, I look forward to reviews if you see a mistake or anything that can be improved! Vital Info in particular has helped me think about things I didn't consider before. Thanks man!**

* * *

After the battle of Caitlin and Ash, the group first went to the healing area of the Gym. Every official Pokémon Gym that is supported by the league has one of the revitalization machines that are coveted by many. Actually, some of them are portable as well in case a gym leader has to protect a city.

Gym leaders are also known as city protectors. This is also why there's rarely any criminal activity by normal people. They instantly get caught either by trainer or by gym leader.

 _They wish it was the trainer._

"Well Ash, you were actually close to injuring my Gardevoir. I have to say that that is very impressive as she has been my pokémon for four years now," Caitlin attempted to cheer up the boy that still looked at Falcon's pokéball with worry.

Ash shook his head. "I understand that. It's just that I let him get hurt unneccessarily. I knew that I stood no chance against you. You have that feeling around you, someone who is stronger than me. I know my limits but I need to challenge them. You were just too far ahead," He sighed in disappointment that was aimed at himself.

Brock walked up to Ash and slapped his back, "C'mon Ash! You only lost this once! It's not common that a trainer wins as many battles as you do. There's always someone or something better than you," Brock tried to cheer him up somewhat again.

Ash gave a little smile, "I know Brock. I wish I could train them better in their special attacks though. Even if Oak gave us special equipment and taught us things such as absorbing energy of an evolution stone, I feel like there's something I've missed. Meditation? I am not sure if that makes a fire type pokémon stronger. I can understand the need to heat up an inner body and Falcon often tells us how he keeps trying to make it hotter and hotter by sheer practice and control but still…If I knew how, I wouldn't have lost that bad," Ash shook his head out of the negativity.

Caitlin perked up slightly and smiled slyly, "Oh my, win against me? You are speaking to one of the former battle frontier members you know?"

Ash, Brock and the Gym Leader which is now known as Matt blinked. A former battle frontier member?

Caitlin gave a softer smile now, "To be honest, I am impressed with your progress and it is understandable that you do not know how to improve things such as an inner flame. I do know about special food that increases it, which I'm sure you use," seeing Ash nod she continued, "it's also the part to disassemble the parts of the food within their body and make it enter their energy core. Every pokémon contains their inner energy whether that be aura or something else. It is their bodies that allow them to turn that raw aura into attack. In this case I'm not sure if it is the aura you use or plain aura."

Ash thought about it for a while. If it's aura, then it can indeed be strengthened by meditation as well as physical growth. Aging also helps in this case.

But can a Pokémon have the Aura he uses in their pokémon?

Trickster slowly creeped out of Ash's shadow and placed a shadowy hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a dark purple Haunter with a blue tongue sticking out. Licking his cheek once and making Ash shiver, he noticed that some aura disappeared. _Huh?_

" _Every pokémon contains Aura,_ " Trickster's voice reached all minds before he turned apologetic green eyes to Ash, " _Sorry about that Ash. Stories about Haunter absorbing life force aren't lies, what they absorb is aura in general. It's just that humans in the past had so little and Haunters had little control that they actually harmed people. What I did is absorb your aura in order to speak,_ " seeing Ash shrug and smile at him melted the Ghost pokémon's non-existent but still mentally available heart.

" _To be honest, I'm surprised this still is not common knowledge. I thought you trained your pokémon with your aura, Ash?_ " Hearing the questioning tone of his Haunter, Ash shook his head.

"I have always trained in special ways. I used lightning storms to power up Pikachu, fed Talonflame various spicy food that awakened fire energy as well as fire stones to absorb energy of, Greninja does the same with a water stone and he's often practicing with Protean to change his type at will these days. There's also the fact that Amaura uses her gems to increase the coldness of it each day and increases her ice abilities. I believe Meowth often practices his moves and trains them to their peak before trying to understand the energy and improve on it. You? You're probably one of the strongest pokémon on my team when you become a Gengar," Ash finished explaining _some_ parts of his training.

"It's not all I do, but that's the basic things I do. I make them understand their type as well as improve on it. For example… Falcon, my Talonflame, can fire _fireballs_ with Ember instead of little orbs," Ash finished and the group _stared_ at him.

That kid is a task master if he made his pokémon improve that way.

No meditation? Simply _understand_ their element? A pokémon often does not understand the element in the slightest. Let's not even talk about a _Pikachu_ absorbing natural _lightning_ to strengthen itself. Understanding an element makes them that strong?

Ash scratched his cheek with an embarrassed blush, "I learnt this from Pikachu. His former pack of Pikachu often talked about the element and not the attack. It's the reason Pikachu is abnormally strong for his kind. Actually, I think he's quite special compared to others…"

Pikachu appeared out of the pokéball as if called and pointed at his blue eyes.

Ash stared.

"I completely forgot you had blue eyes and the egg move Surf," He muttered in an annoyed voice.

How did he forget? That's pretty damn _special_ if he's allowed to say so.

The rest just stared at Ash in bemusement. His Pikachu could use moves it shouldn't be able to do. Really? Surf? As an egg move? He's really not some transformed Mew?

Pikachu looked at his trainer with a deadpan. _"Sometimes, you are an idiot Ash."_

Ash chuckled nervously as he watched Pikachu jump up onto his shoulder and then motion to Haunter, whispering some things he needs to explain to them.

Agreeing, the Haunter turned to the humans with an eerie grin that seemed to be filled with amusement.

" _It appears that Pikachu is indeed special. His father is actually Raikou,"_ Haunter began as everyone _stared_ at the Pikachu that rubbed the back of his head.

" _There's also the fact that this Pikachu was 'blessed by the ocean' and not just lightning. It is something not many see but sometimes a Pokémon is blessed by nature itself. Arceus created the world with the use of his elemental plates,"_ Trickster explained before looking up at the sky as if trying to look for Arceus, " _Thanks to his plates, filled with all known elements of each pokémon, the world was shapen in the design he wished it to. Every element in the world has its will. An example would be Kyogre, the personification of the Sea. It is the truth that Kyogre is so as he was born of the energy within the seas. The same happens for Manaphy,_ " the Haunter explained calmly, no longer smiling eerily and being serious for this matter.

" _This energy can bless a pokémon. I've heard of a flying Garchomp, a psychic using Dragonair. There's all kinds of pokémon around and sadly, they're so hidden you do not often find them. When a pokémon is blessed by an element, he or she can use this element if he or she wishes to. Naturally, it is far harder to control the element than its main one but once mastered it can learn moves such as Water Pulse. Pikachu is one of these,_ " Trickster finished. He wouldn't tell the entire story of pokémon also being natural chosen ones in order to protect the world.

No sirree, that's opening another can of Wurmple. People would _crawl_ over the world in order to find these pokémon and capture them.

Because they're far stronger than the normal ones of their kind.

Pikachu is also a child of Raikou, the beast of Lightning.

Imagine the amount of evil that would target the innocent Mouse pokémon that travels with the boy. He'd be used as a labrat when captured and trying to figure out what makes the Pikachu tick.

" _I wish I could trust some of you with this information, but I do not see you being able to,"_ the Haunter turned to a few disciples. They immediately screamed in fear as the Haunter began to glow a fierce red.

Shadows rose from the darkness and simply captured the disciples that ran. It spoke enough of their ability to keep secrets, they'd do anything to save their hide. Good thing those are the _only_ disciples and only Matt can be trusted here.

Shadows absorbed them for a while as the screams died off but soon enough unconsious bodies of the disciples littered on the floor.

" _I have erased their memory, Ash,_ " the Haunter began as he turned around to spot Ash blinking curiously.

The boy didn't even act on seeing a pokémon target a human?

The Haunter tried to figure out why until the bond connected with Ash from his side. Ash felt the _intent_ of him when he 'attacked' the disciples. The fact that he didn't act meant that he trusts him. That's the start of a good bond.

Perhaps he'll tell him of his birth as a Ghost pokémon when this bond grows. He feels like Ash can be like Aaron in the future. The one person that ever trusted him, the one person that never denied him. The one person that made him grow up into the beast he was until he met his end thanks to a certain event…

He still had no regrets. He will not have any regrets. He will move forward.

Feeling the connection between him and Ash grow, Trickster's eyes widened before turning into a grin.

 _Ash is like him. He will not have any regrets. He will not stop. He will go forward and reach his goal._

He could not be happier with any other trainer… Yes, he might be like Aaron someday.

Ash chuckled slightly as he felt the funny feeling of his connection with the Haunter. The Haunter was at first depressed before becoming determined and he reinforced that feeling with his own desire to go forward.

It seems that they were similar.

"Haunter meant no harm. A Ghost Pokémon is known to see the hearts of people like a Psychic, but more on the evil side. He felt that they can not keep a secret and took action. Memories aren't that hard to take away I guess?" He looked at his Haunter that shook its head.

" _It's a special technique very few Ghost and Psychic type know. Because it's extremely dangerous, they will never teach others but the selected successor to learn the technique. I am the successor of the Pokémon Tower's Gengar as he knows what I am and why._ "

Ash simply nodded before nodding at his Pikachu. "No matter who you are, what you are and what you do… You will always be my partner, Pikachu. I do not care if you are 'blessed by the Ocean' or whatever it is called. You are my partner, my friend and my brother."

The Pikachu nuzzled his cheek happily. That's his trainer alright!

Caitlin, Brock and Matt simply shook their heads in slight amusement. It seems that he's still a child and didn't know the danger of a pokémon _knowing_ such a thing.

But if it's Ash, and that Haunter, then they'll understand.

"Do not worry, Haunter," Matt spoke as he pounded his fist on his chiseled chest, "I will keep your secret. I swear this upon my heart and soul."

Caitlin smiled slightly, "I promise to never tell anyone either. They'll never hear anything from my side."

Brock chuckled. "I am traveling with Ash and learnt a lot of things. This is just one I'll stick into the 'forbidden knowledge' part. Isn't that right, Chosen One?" Brock 'winked' at Ash.

Ash just shook his head. "I still do not understand why I am the Chosen One. I can be corrupted by anyone or lead on by anyone. I am but a human, everchanging and always moving on. I am a child." He spoke in maturity beyond his years as Caitlin began to giggle.

"Knowing that you are is part of the job. Chosen One eh? I'll tag along with you for real! I'm interested in what I may find," she giggled again.

Her Gallade and Gardevoir simply remained still behind her. Their red eyes however stared at Ash and he didn't flinch in the slightest either.

 _He stared down a Dragonite, a giant Dragonite, a giant Tentacruel and above all a damned Kyogre and Ho-oh. He can take a stare of a couple of pokémon._

"Then I take it you are now ready for your battle?" Matt asked as the machine finally 'pinged' to show all pokémon have recovered from their exhausted state.

Ash nodded with a smile as he attached the cherish ball to the magnets of his belt. He smoothly grasped the two extra luxury balls and called out his Houndoom.

"You two can watch this battle. Fighting type pokémon are often similar to a human. Seeing as you'll guard my mother's place and Professor Oak's lab, you'll need some knowledge."

Both Houndoom nodded as they walked next to Ash. Trickster and Pikachu simply remained near him as well and Matt began to chuckle.

"Boy, do you even know how rare your pokémon are? Houndoom cannot be tamed easily unless they're born from an egg with you as a parental figure. They actually listen," Matt shook his head.

Ash blinked a few times. Seems like _some_ leaders know of their pokémon.

Maybe it was because Sabrina was controlled by her own powers that she didn't remember or ignored the fact?

Ah well, he got the badge already. It was a disappointment, but he won't re-do a gym until he can do so with a real team in the future.

Shrugging as a response as he didn't really care, he just pet the two Houndoom that closed their eyes to enjoy their trainer's touch. Ash smiled a bit as he guided some minor aura to his hands and pet them some more to heat up the touch. Fire types did like heat.

Both Houndoom's tails began to swish around in joy at feeling the heat of their trainer's aura. Well, they'll be his official pokémon no matter where they'll stay.

Ash chuckled slightly. His red eyes being affectionate as they can with their maroon color. "They're just pokémon. I am a trainer. A trainer does not take the easy path and I told them my reasoning for capturing them. I do not simply capture, I capture with reasons or respect. If a Pokémon wishes to join me, I will capture that Pokémon without a single complaint. If a Pokémon does not wish to I challenge it. These two were part of a pack that attacked us but we beat them all and captured a few. Brock has what… 8 pokémon of their pack? He needs them to protect his former gym. I do it for my mother's protection as well as helping Professor Oak. Right, Houndoom?" He asked both of them.

Both Houndoom nodded as their red eyes stared at Matt, who now looked dumbfounded.

Such a way of taking care of Pokémon… He didn't just capture them, he told them the reason and the pokémon agreed. Pokémon themselves have wills and it seems he focuses on that.

A trainer that listens to their pokémon.

Such a simple concept that is rarely followed. Yes, trainers listen to their pokémon but they do not follow their wishes as they all travel for the top. They tell their pokémon their selfish goals, their entire reason for capturing them. Ash, instead, tells them and if they accept - which was definitely the case here - he will keep them.

"Yes, as you probably think… if they completely rejected the idea, I would not have kept them and released them. I do not do forced captures. They are part of a pack after all… Well, that pack was big enough. We fought like what.. 80 of them, Brock?" He turned to his friend who nodded.

"Tyranitar and Golett were pretty angry at the end of the challenge. The first fifty were okay but the last 30 Houndour were a pain," He explained.

Both Houndoom just shook their heads as they followed their trainer that now walked towards the battlefield.

"C'mon! I want that battle!" Ash said with a grin. The previous conversation completely forgotten as he entered his 'battle mode'.

Matt chuckled heartily. Yes, this boy was special. He was completely serious about letting his pokémon go if they wished to. Now that is a boy to follow. He'll look forward to this year's league… This boy will make it.

"Alright then young man. Let me show you the raw power of a fighting type!" He laughed heartily as the old man began to walk to his stand. It's time to show the younger generation the power of the old ones!

"Come forth, Conkeldurr!" He called out a pokémon completely new to the Kanto region. This old man knew his stuff…

"Conkeldurr huh? If I am not wrong that's a Unova pokémon… yes, this'll do. Let's go, Trickster. It seems we need to remind them that power is not everything," Ash smiled slightly. He battled Trickster before and with the little practice rounds he had, he had a general idea of what the Haunter can do.

" _With pleasure!_ " Like a haunted laugh, the shadows reached the middle of the field and Trickster appeared out of it with its blue tongue.

" _Bring it on, young one!_ " The old Conkeldurr roared and slammed the massive massive hands on the ground before _concrete_ was created by its energy. Now there were two pillars of massive concrete in front of the Conkeldurr.

"Holy… What the, I thought-..." Ash blinked a few times in amazement. A fighting type can _do that?_

The Conkeldurr began to throw the concrete pillars, using them as a Rock Throw attack. It was obvious that with the way the Conkeldurr can throw them around that they were rock-based attacks and capable of hitting a Haunter.

However, Ash was not worried.

"Play, Trickster. Go wild," Ash grinned slightly. If there's one thing he learned, it's letting the Haunter go wild with its tricks.

The Haunter began to laugh as a second ability unlocked itself. Thanks to the aura it absorbed from Ash all the time recently, it unlocked the Illusion ability of the past. The Haunter began to grow and grow as it looked at the smaller figure of the Conkeldurr.

"Detect! Foresight!" Both orders came right after each other as the Conkeldurr began to use them in a smooth manner. Definitely the old man's first pokémon… it's a good thing that old pokémon also lose some strength compared to those in their prime. Fighting types in particular.

The massive Haunter, in Conkeldurr's view, was still the same despite being capable of seen properly. The red glow didn't shrink the Haunter in the slightest and Ash showed a faint grin.

"Show them your game, Trickster. Let the illusionist do his thing," with that order, the haunted laughter reached all corners of the gym and some began to look uncomfortable. That's some creepy ability.

Illusions of countless Haunter rising happened. Using Illusion alone can change Haunter's figure and physique into a different pokémon so right now it began to rise behind the illusion of the massive Haunter as its former species.

While yes, he was not the exact typing anymore, Haunter can temporarily take the form of a Zoroark with his abilities. Just like his children, he is capable of _physical_ illusions.

This was something that Ash had admired in the future, seeing a Zoroark fight off the three legendary Pokémon known as Suicune, Raikou and Entei by transforming into them respectively.

While it's not perfect and the illusions can't use the actual moves, they do deal dark type damage if the intent is there. Others will think of it as real, but to a Zoroark this is all an ability.

A very _overpowered_ ability.

Seeing the chance, a figure jumped from behind the massive Haunter and roared. Now back in its original body, Trickster was ready to battle. Well, original body until he was hit. Illusion had that troublesome part where he needed to re-do it every time he got hit…

Being capable of being hit by fighting type moves did limit his actions but that didn't bother the temporary Zoroark. It listened to Ash's orders as its figure began to glow.

Glowing, green eyes stared at the Conkeldurr that looked on in amazement. Heck, even Brock was like that. He didn't know Ash actually trained his Haunter for _this_.

He technically didn't. It's only thanks to his aura that the Haunter was unlocking its former ability… and it still wasn't at its peak considering the fact that all the haunter were disappearing and there's only a single Zoroark in sight.

However, Conkeldurr wouldn't stand still. Creating a massive orb of concrete, it threw it straight at the newly transformed Zoroark.

Sadly, this Zoroark was very capable back when it was living. Trickster began to run and with that, it meant _run_ as a blur of black and red was seen to dodge the massive orb that was thrown at it.

The transformed Haunter roared as an orb of ghostly energy surrounded its new claws and fired it straight at the Conkeldurr that tanked through it without any issues. Seeing that, the Zoroark gained a glint in its eyes.

Now firing multiple Shadow Balls, it ran around the Conkeldurr, dodging the concrete that kept being thrown.

No trainer spoke. It was a battle between Pokémon now. Heck, they all looked impressed, even Ash. He knew of the ability unlocking as his Haunter told him so a while ago, but to see it be this impressive…

If that Zoroark was alive, it would be a _monster_ that is not limited to using its ability to transform into its main form temporarily…

It seems that Conkeldurr was slowly catching up some small wounds as the Zoroark finally ran closer and one of the claws began to glow.

"Hm? Improvising I see.." Ash chuckled as he felt the Haunter's emotion. Pure lust for battle that it missed as a Zoroark. This was completely done out of instinct, but his Haunter used Night Slash as a Zoroark. Possibly even stronger because it's originally a Ghost-type pokémon.

Conkeldurr let out a cry of pain before using bulk up and increasing its strength and defense. Then, it slammed a massive pillar straight at the Zoroark that was too close.

Being hit backwards, the Zoroark turned into a Haunter that now held an Energy Ball.

" _Be prepared, young one! Here comes the big guy!"_ The Conkeldurr roared and threw an orb of concrete made with energy of a Rock-type, throwing it straight at the Haunter.

Seeing no chance to dodge that, it did what a Ghost pokémon does best.

Melding through the floor, it disappeared into the darkness and as the orb blocked the sight of the Haunter, two hands grabbed the legs of the Conkeldurr before throwing it straight into the air.

Charging two glowing orbs of ghostly energy, the Haunter threw two confuse ray orbs to mess with the mind of the Conkeldurr as it was in the air. The first orb was blocked thanks to smashing it with one of his standard pillars but that made his body twirl in midair and get hit by the second.

Seeing the chance, the Haunter used Curse. Quite literally, a pin hit the Haunter that made it let out a faint cry of pain as it hurt him but the massive pin also hit the Conkeldurr that will definitely lose this match when confused.

Matt saw this and sighed in disappointment. This battle was obviously the win of the opponent Haunter. Even if Conkeldurr managed to get out of the confusion, curse dealt damage when used by a Ghost-type.

Even if it was capable of fighting again, Haunter was fast enough to dodge and it didn't forget the fact that it can go through walls and hide underneath the ground in the darkness. Something many tamed Ghost-types seem to forget or trainers dislike because it's unfair.

"Return, Conkeldurr! Your Haunter has won this round but… what was that ability?" He asked curiously. He knew of Zoroark of course and the fact Haunter transformed into one says a lot.

Ash chuckled nervously as the Haunter crept back up to his trainer's side. "Well done Trickster… can I tell him?" He asked confirmation from his Haunter.

Nodding, " _I don't mind if you tell anyone. It's not really something that needs to be a secret,"_ the Haunter agreed with Ash.

Seeing that it was allowed he turned to the Gym Leader of the Dojo in Saffron City.

"This Haunter was formerly a Zoroark. Thanks to Aura, the energy of all living beings and being influenced by it, it remembered its past life when 'reborn' or something. I don't know the exact story, but Trickster used to be a Zoroark and has shown that thanks to aura it can learn some of its past abilities. It's really interesting so I write down what happens."

The Haunter nodded in agreement as it looked at the opponent. Its green eyes, that never changed when turning into a Zoroark showed the truth of his trainer's words.

Matt began to chuckle. "Interesting! Do you perhaps have another Pokémon to battle? I have another fighting type that would love to get going. Two on Two right?" He joked with a grin.

Ash grinned slightly. "I wouldn't mind six on six for this! It's really amazing to see your pokémon. They're all very strong!"

The old man laughed, "Yes, that is true young man! They have been with me for many years. Come on out, Hitmonlee! You'll be the finale for the kid, show 'em your kicking power!"

"C'mon, Hermit!" Ash called out his Greninja which instantly crouched down for combat. It seems like it knew the opponent as Hermit also went for speed.

"Hey Ash, do you know the ability of Hitmonlee?" Matt asked just to be sure.

Ash blinked a few times… Abilities of a Hitmonlee. "Reckless and Limber, right?" He thought about it. It was those two that Oak mentioned but did this pokémon have a third ability? Most people ignore the fact that pokémon have that hidden ability.

"Indeed. However, Hitmonlee's third ability, Unburden, is what makes him a beast."

Ash blinked a few times before his eyes widened at the sight of a Fighting Gem in Hitmonlee's hands.

"Oh sh- HERMIT! SMOKESCREEN!" The Greninja's eyes widened at the sound of his trainer panicking and moved as fast as possible.

 **KRK….Ching.**

 **BOOM!**

Hitmonlee's Fighting Gem broke apart as the ability activated alongside with its fighting abilities. Doubling its own speed and increasing its own attack, the Greninja was slammed straight into a wall into unconsciousness before it knew what happened. Ash's eyes widened as he spotted the floor _made to hold back beasts of massive weight_ being _cracked_ through its strength to push off.

Instantly, Ash rushed to his Greninja and began to use his aura version of Heal Pulse to heal the Greninja's wounds. This was serious stuff, he never saw that speed before.

The old man, Matt, laughed loudly in amusement. It never gets old to see a trainer panic at the sight of his Hitmonlee's speed. Those fighting gems were hard, but he needed to humble the challengers eventually! To be honest, Ash deserved the badge the moment that his Conkeldurr was defeated but just to humble him, Hitmonlee was sent in.

Since that day, Hermit was interested in fighting type moves. Since that day, Hermit began his own desire to get stronger. Become the strongest Greninja there is.

Since that day Ash never underestimated an opponent again and decided to go back to his studies. A trainer never stops learning on his path to become a master. This lesson came straight from Matt's Hitmonlee. If he knew about those abilities he wouldn't get cocky enough to challenge the gym and use a pokémon with a type disadvantage from the start against such a pokémon.

After Ash finished healing his Greninja he apologized swiftly, "Sorry Hermit… I should have known about that ability as a trainer…"

The Greninja shook its head before looking at his trainer affectionately. Ash was always like this, caring about his pokémon. Back when he was a Frogadier, he was sought after for rarity and collection. He wouldn't be cared for.

Ash was the opposite.

Shaking its head again, the water starter of Kalos quietly got up and despite being near exhausted because of the damage it received, it put its webbed hands together and bowed in respect to the Hitmonlee. Ash noticed it and did the same to Matt. This was a lesson, there was no other way… It seems Hermit got one up on him.

 _They needed to get stronger. Far stronger._

Matt began to laugh loudly. This boy was interesting! Both he and his Pokémon show respect to his opponent instead of crying at being beaten. While the Greninja took the lead, Ash followed up after taking a second to recognize the reason.

Yes, this boy and his Pokémon will go far!

"Come here, boy. Let me hand you the badge of this Dojo, the Breaker Badge," he held out his palm.

The badge looked similar to that of the concrete structure of a Conkeldurr's usual pillars. On that structure were three imprints: A Punch, a Kick and a Headbutt. All three moves looked like they belonged to the Hitmon family. The pillar itself was a dark gray but the kicks were an auburn colour, the lines around the kicks and such being gold to make the attacks more noticeable.

Ash nodded in respect. He wouldn't judge against the man's judgement. If this was his reward for battling today, he will accept it.

Looking at his Greninja, he could hear the Pokémon grunt slightly before turning to Ash with a fiery passion in his eyes. Hermit will never be same again.

Ash finally grinned slightly, "Sir, do you possibly have a few methods to teach fighting types? I believe Hermit here would definitely be interested in learning fighting type moves. While most Greninja do not learn them because they prefer sneak attacks, I believe using fighting type attacks will make Hermit that much stronger in the future."

Matt stared at the boy for a while before laughing out again. He hadn't had this much fun since meeting his old pals Wattson and Wake! This boy kept raising up in his list of respected trainers.

"Of course! You have learnt my lesson I believe?" He looked seriously. The old man's sharp, grey eyes staring right into Ash's eyes as if judging his fate.

Ash closed his eyes before nodding, "I got too complacent. Yes, I lost a few matches but they were close. You taught me to be humble with this, to not underestimate again. I thought I had a chance but I was taught that I should never underestimate. Your Hitmonlee was far stronger than the Conkeldurr and even that was only won because Trickster used a unique way of battling despite going full battle later on. The surprise mostly helped, I suppose."

Matt thought about it before nodding. "That is correct, young man. You have learned what I wish to teach many that challenge me. Some simply leave after their second chance, feeling as if they don't need this badge to go on and challenge 'weaker', I use that term loosely as each of our gyms has stronger pokémon than what the challengers face, gyms. That is why you are the first since this Gym started to have earned this badge. I hope you will grow from this point on into a fine young lad," The old man laughed kindly.

Ash smiled slightly. That was like listening to Oak's ramble of 'There's always someone better'. He somewhat missed his grandfather figure now.

"Of course, sir. When you watch the League Championship this year, be amazed. I will show you that your lessons made us evolve into a stronger person. You all understand that, right?" He looked at his necklace that began to glow alongside the cherish balls. Haunter had been connecting them through telepathy so they could listen to it, no wonder he felt some drain.

Out of his pokéballs came Falcon, Meowth and Glacia. All three nodded as Pikachu also jumped down and Greninja and Haunter stood next to them.

Heck, even the two Houndoom stood at full attention of this lesson. All eight pokémon stood in front of their trainer, staring down at the boy - no, the _man_ that will make them grow.

Ash's red eyes began to glow as if he reached an understanding, a humbling experience. His aura felt much calmer as well and lost its childish arrogance.

"We will train ourselves to the ground and not just a little, but deep. We will not give up and when we finish the badge challenge, we'll show Matt who is tough. Right guys?"

Though the Houndoom won't challenge it as they will have guard duties, they all roared and cheered.

To be honest, it amazed Matt, Caitlin and Brock. All of Ash's pokémon were special in a way. All of them were different from others.

But now Matt opened Pandora's Box and unleashed a boy upon the world that would become the fear of many evil organisations.

 _He taught the Chosen One a lesson he will never forget. A lesson that will be passed down in history, where Matt made an impression to Ash. A lesson, that Ash will write at the end of his life in a story. His life as the Chosen One._

* * *

After taking a break and some minor warm ups with Ash sparring against some trainees, they were ready to depart again.

Ash received a lot of scrolls with katas inside of it. Katas to practice moves to battle against human and pokémon alike.

He even got special training methods for his Pokémon to properly learn fighting type moves! He'll gladly show Matt what he can do!

Ever since they left, both Brock and Caitlin remained silent as they walked next to Ash. Heck, nobody even complained in the slightest that Caitlin tagged along. They traveled as if it's been done for years now.

Next to Ash walked Pikachu and Meowth, both wearing weights that were specially made to train a pokémon's muscles. All of Ash's pokémon received new weights to train each and every muscle to learn new moves or strengthen old ones.

These weights were definitely different from Oak's. Whereas Oak's was meant to follow Ash, Gary and Leaf's training menu of physical training - that was now updated by Ash and mailed to his friends and teacher - these were made by those who were masters of physical training. Heck, even Ash wore some on his legs and arms as he moved them around mechanically every now and then.

Their pace was slower than before, but much clearer.

Ash finally got out of his thoughts as he put away his pokédex. He had been updating his work with the new find as well as lessons and mailed it to his fellow students of Professor Oak and he received a mail from Oak pretty fast. It was pretty funny to see Oak mail so fast as that meant he had a lot of free time… He wondered why. Thinking back of the mail, he couldn't help but grin slightly. His teacher always looked out for him.

 ** _"Hello Ash!_**

 ** _It's been awhile since I've heard something from you! While I know you have the Xtransceiver and have the ability to call us anytime, we'd like to hear more from you! You should have seen Delia when we saw you on the news, on top of that Kyogre! Oh boy, I was sweating and fearing for my life for a while there!_**

 ** _It's good to know that you still focus on improving your knowledge of Pokémon and their growth. It seems that you have met one of my old friends, Matthew Pierceson. He used to be an elite four member back in my day and let me tell you that he was tough! He used fighting type pokémon like the best. To think you battled and actually received his Dojo's badge… Indeed, you are my dear student!_**

 ** _Thank you for updating your training menu. Seeing these, I've started to write down orders to improve our training equipment at the lab so that Pokémon will continue to get stronger._**

 ** _Now what is this I heard about a Haunter with a special ability? Not just that, but you have a talking Meowth and a shiny Amaura? You do know that you scare the living out of us right? When you reach Pallet Town, I expect you to show us everyone young man! Especially Leaf. She recently has evolved her Nidorina into a Nidoqueen and let me tell you that when some boy tried to hit on her.. Oh boy._**

 ** _I'll mail you about everyone's progress. While you now possess five badges, Gary has six of which two are from minor gyms that are in backwater cities. Leaf has captured at least 24 pokémon all of which are extremely rare. I think you know some of them, but let me tell you their current team. I'll mail the same information to them. Don't worry, no battle info will be shared!_**

 ** _Gary's current team is: Umbreon, Blastoise, Fearow, Scizor, a massive Arcanine and a Nidoking! All six of them are powerhouses in their own right, and he's growing very well!_**

 ** _Leaf's current team is: Nidoqueen, Venusaur, Clefable which are extremely rare, Lapras which I have no idea how she even found one, a Pidgeot which she uses to fly around the area and no sixth pokémon. The others she has captured are often shiny or rare in Kanto and let me tell you that I even expect her to capture a Mew one day if this keeps up! Her Quagsire now helps us out with rowdy pokémon as well. It seems that the pokémon didn't like battling as much as helping out people._**

 ** _Now, don't forget to contact us Ash. We like to hear more from you!_**

 ** _With a grandfather's pride,_**

 ** _Professor Samuel Oak of Pallet Town"_**

Ash will deny that he shed tears after reading Oak's mail. Some homesickness was expected as a young trainer.

To hear that Gary already had a badge more than him and closer to the league only fired him up more. He silently vowed to train even harder after he heard of Gary's team. This league will be hard… But he isn't Ash 'Red' Ketchum for nothing!

* * *

They have been walking for a few days now, taking it slower than before. Ash often let out every single pokémon he has with him.

He still kept silent to Oak about the Houndoom. He liked to surprise the old man with the extra protection. He hoped that Professor Oak didn't mind that he took liberty of giving him some extra help and protection.

So far, his pokémon have been working themselves to the ground. Brock and Caitlin were their sparring partners and to be honest, his pokémon were all happy with their current pace.

The Ash now can't even be compared to the Ash of a week ago. His determination reached his Pokémon and now all of them trained like well oiled machines.

Brock even decided to train his body alongside Ash. Caitlin often called them muscleheads, but at least it was with a fond smile.

Talking about Caitlin… Yes, she became part of their little group. Being a former member of the Battle Frontier in Johto, she has a lot of experience in battling and coaches Ash every now and then when he tries something new. Caitlin also began teaching him manners and how to handle girls, because honestly… Ash was clueless to the extreme!

He walked into her tent to ask a question when she was changing!

Ash still went his head hurt whenever he thought of that event. Who would've thought an umbrella could hit so hard… He was hit so hard he couldn't even remember seeing her half-naked.

Brock often complimented Caitlin as well. Seeing her ways of training her pokémon, Brock was inspired to let his Pokémon do the same and thanks to the extra meditation training and 'learning the element' which Ash also added their bodies became tougher and more fit.

Heck, if Onix were to be a Steelix now it wouldn't even get hurt by a flamethrower of a Charizard.

Theoretically speaking that is. He hasn't evolved and hasn't learned about his steel element outside of Iron Head, Iron Tail and Iron Defense.

Ah yes, this was something Ash also shared with the others. His Pokémon Encyclopedia. To improve himself, he needs tougher opponents and now he shares methods to train their pokémon new moves as well as the nutrients needed for a perfect growth rate.

Brock's skill professional cooking as a breeder increased like a madman. Heck, even Caitlin was impressed with the work and commented on special training.

She was still impressed with the elemental training that they do and how they do it.

A Charizard needs to spit out a giant ember and turn it into a fireball? Increase the heat, volume and power of impact of a basic and usually considered weak fire-type move? It's a revolution that many would praise.

Ash did make them swear not to tell others. This training was special for him and select few for now. He'll publish the encyclopedia when he reached Johto so he at least experienced the world as a trainer for a year.

Yes, Ash also decided on something new. He no longer minded losing. He now sought after challenges. To do so, he needs to travel the world and what better than challenge all regions, their gyms and the leagues?

It gives him a challenge and a goal for each region as well as meeting new pokémon to join his team. Of course, his Kanto team will boost up all their trainings to borderline torture similar to how Dragonite trained Pikachu with electric attacks and to dodge.

Hmm.. thinking of his Kanto team, he has to have slots for each region. Perhaps asking Oak will help. He won't take more than 12 pokémon, that is his absolute limit so he needed to switch Pokémon every now and then.

Such a shame…

Shaking his head out of those thoughts, Ash marched on. Next to him stood Caitlin and Brock. The boys all wore their training equipment as it was a hot day and Caitlin used an umbrella to block the sun's rays from reaching her.

All around them were pokémon. From Brock's Onix to Caitlin's Espeon, they all wore special training equipment that Oak transferred to Ash to test out. It was a hot day but that meant that it was also an endurance training for those who tire out easily.

The ones in front were considered the monsters. Most of them were Caitlin's pokémon but with them stood Pikachu, Hermit, Brock's Tyranitar and Golett. Haunter could not train physically until his evolution as his form was still not 'physical' but 'ghostly'. It is only after the evolution into a Gengar that he gains a proper, ectoplasm body that works just like a living being. That didn't change the fact that he walked with the group as a Zoroark to train his illusion ability to its peak again.

Behind them were the the trainers, the rest of Ash's team and his Talonflame in the air. Brock's team was behind but that was understandable as the rock type pokémon gained _massive_ to borderline _insane_ weights. That was because Ash told Brock to strain their muscles as much as possible and increase their endurance before they finally evolve… which will happen in Celadon City.

During those days nothing of excitement happened. They simply walk, rest, eat, train and sleep. Celadon was a while away from them.

Today, however, was different. It was during today's training that the weights would come off and they'll practice with their newly gained strength. Pokémon evolve continuously, just like how humans do and need to adapt.

To be honest, Brock was scared like hell after seeing his Tyranitar break a massive boulder with a… Well damn. Mega Punch. Seems like he and Golett get along very well.

The rest did well too. All the pokémon looked ready to at least win their seventh badge and their training will continue every single day.

Well, Ash's pokémon look like that.

Caitlin just kept going further and further up the road as an elite trainer. Her team was already ahead but thanks to the new training equipment, her Gallade can be considered the second coming of Bruno's Machamp in the near future.

Brock's team was mostly made out of powerhouses with the exception of Vulpix and Roselia, both of which trained _twice_ as hard as the others in order not to disappoint their trainer.

Brock often hugs them with affection, telling them how precious they are. It seems they've reached the breeder's heart.

Heck, all of their pokémon have gotten closer to them. After the gym's battle both Brock and Caitlin began to listen more to the pokémon and that respect was now returned as well. It seems like they learned something out of Ash's battle too.

Today, however, they'll see an angry Ash. An Ash that usually doesn't pop up unless you do something extremely dumb. Like stab a girl or steal his cap.

* * *

Ash and his Group was resting for a while now. He stood in the back, a while away from the group as the others were cheerfully talking with each other. Right now, Ash was meditating alone.

"Man.. Mankey!" A Monkey pokémon screeched as it jumped over Ash and grabbed his cap.

The cap that he received from his _mother_.

The cap that was completely _handmade by his mother._

Now, Ash can be calm. Ash can be the kindest guy you'll see on earth. Ash (in the future) can be the greatest lover as well.

But you do not touch his mother's hard work that was made while dealing with stressful work at the restaurant.

The Mankey probably never saw it coming but Ash rushed to him at a speed far exceeding that of a human and slammed an aura enhanced fist. He could hear his own arm crack slightly but a heal pulse and it was clearly healed. Seeing that the Mankey let go of his cap, he quickly grabbed it and put it on.

"You do not touch another's stuff, especially when that they hold it dear. Remember that, Mankey," Ash warned the fighting type that now stood up and saw red.

It started screeching out loud, Ash could see it was calling for its entire group to battle them. Surrounding them soon after were around 40 Mankey and about 4 Primeape. Probably all leaders of about 10 Mankey.

Seeing that, Ash's eyes began to glow.

 _They take his mother's homemade cap and decide that after he takes it back to tell their own group to kill them because he took it back?_

It seems these pokémon were dangerous. It's time for another league call… After he finishes up this battle.

Ash grunted as he called out for his Talonflame. The training equipment previously on its wings and claws for weight and grappling strength disappeared with the use of his itemdex, a special feature of the Pokédex that Oak uploaded after sending the training equipment.

Ash called it the Holy Grail of all trainers. It could store his heavy weight training equipment.

Falcon noticed the lack of weight and spontaneously left the group in high speed, blasting off to his trainer's location and crashed down on a few Mankey that got far too close to his liking.

"Falcon. They attempt to fatally harm humans for taking back their stolen items by those of their own group. Go wild and call the others. You were the only one that could see me from the sky after all," Ash joked slightly as he moved to the side to dodge a Mankey that tried to Karate Chop him and he promptly used the human variant of a Mega Kick to send it flying.

They didn't weight much for his strengthened body.

Seeing one of their kind flying out of the circle the Mankey began screeching for blood and cheering for the Primeape to take care of the boy. Well, until Falcon took action.

The mighty Talonflame let out a _screech_ with the message " _Over here! Dangerous!_ " to all of his pokémon. Where his pokémon would come, the rest would follow… and promptly grabbed Ash and began using flamethrower to take out all the weaker Mankey from the sky.

Ash's pokémon were like rockets taking off, going towards the cry of their fellow teammate and possibly trainer in danger.

About 20 Mankey were gone when the rest of the group got there and when the Primeape and Mankey thought of escaping at seeing the hopelessness of the situation, they were completely mistaken.

They attacked someone very important to a certain group of pokémon. Their fate was sealed.

Pikachu instantly fired a Discharge to all of the pokémon around it, nearly blasting the others but all fighting types were hit straight on and sent to the ground with paralysis. The rest was just easy picking.

Hermit fired massive amounts of Water Shuriken at all the fighting types and used a Karate Chop - which was the basic move he learnt recently - on a Mankey that managed to get up.

Meowth began to growl and used Thunderbolt to damage everyone from a distance. He could use Swift, but he was afraid the attacks might hit his teammates as it was an extremely widespread attack that sought after targets. Water Shuriken worked with Hermit's accuracy and wasn't a problem in this situation.

Haunter began to use Night Daze, blasting all the pokémon towards the middle and making sure they were all together. No stragglers.

Glacia soon followed up with Blizzard as the two Houndoom used Flamethrower to make a mixture of Hot 'n Cold to wound them even more until all of the pokémon were down for the count.

Yes, six pokémon can take out a horde of pokémon without a problem. The only problem would be the leader of all of them.

A massive Primeape that definitely took the cake in strength. Ash wasn't worried though.

"Pikachu! Take him out! I bet you've mastered Spark… now add speed and even more of your electricity! Show that Primeape what it means to attack our friends!"

Pikachu nodded with a cry of anger as electricity began to spark from its pouches. Soon enough, it became a cloak of lightning which grew… and grew… and grew… Until Pikachu moved in a blur.

" _Pika.. Pika… Pikaaa!_ " Ash could pretty much understand that he was pretty angry and was speaking some words that most likely pokémon found offending as the Primeape got even angrier.

Well, until the Primeape felt his starter's power. Wait, he wore his weights…

Seeing the Primeape blast off straight into the group of Mankey and other Primeape, Ash gained a massive sweatdrop. Weights can be weapons huh? He wasn't even angry anymore now… That was just plain painful.

"Good job. They thought they could steal me cap… That's like stealing Pikachu's Ketchup," Ash muttered as darker thoughts entered his mind.

Greninja's usual dark blue body, much darker than others of its species, paled slightly at the thought. He only wanted some ketchup to try it out… He didn't know that it was something that Pikachu absolutely adored.

That was a scary day. Nobody messed with Pikachu's ketchup. They really understood why Ash did that now though.

Ash sighed and called Lance again to call out the league to take care of the Primeape.

* * *

After contacting Lance, like usual, all of the Mankey and Primeape were picked up by League Personnel. Watching it with a calm, collected face Ash simply stood still while behind him his pokémon were training again.

Really, why were these so offensive to humans? There was no reason at all. They must've come from the wild zones that contain highly dangerous pokémon.

Even if he captured one of them, they'll be a pain to train because next to being angry and grumpy 24/7, they were highly prideful.

To be honest, he did a favor to many, many trainers.

Sighing out loud, he turned on his Xtransceiver to contact Lance again to tell him the progress.

" _Hello Ash! Is our League Personnel there?_ " Lance instantly started with the business. Ash just smiled slightly at seeing the champion being so cheerful.

"Yes. They're all here and captured the Mankey and their evolutions." Ash confirmed with a nod.

" _Great news! Oh, by the way, my Dragonite recently have left behind an egg and it seems that they went to Leaf and gave it to her to raise. She'll definitely own a strong one there!_ " Lance cheerfully spoke. He was happy his Dragonite gave it to Leaf. She deserved it if she wanted to catch up to the other two.

Ash began laughing a little. "Good! I look forward to a battle with her in the future. To be honest Lance, if you watch the League in the future you better get some popcorn because you're in for a show."

Ash smirked slightly at seeing Lance blink a few times. " _Oh? Since when were you so confident?_ "

"I've won the fifth badge so far, against Matt Pierceson."

It's not evey day that you get Lance to stare at you with an open jaw. It was like that for a few seconds, making Ash think his Xtransceiver stopped working but he spotted Ash shaking his head in amusement and disbelief.

" _Only you, Ash. Only you. Well, Gary and Leaf can probably do it too…_ "

Ash chuckled a little. "Good to know that you admit that they are amazing as well. They are my fellow students so you shouldn't underestimate them."

Most would've killed Ash for sounding so cocky at the champion of both Kanto and Johto but Lance just laughed it off in amusement.

" _Sure Ash! Now, did you capture your sixth pokémon yet?_ " Lance asked in curiosity. To be honest, all Pokémon captured by those three are special in their own way. They're beasts in their own right, or special.

"Yes. I have captured a Haunter who remembers his past life as a Zoroark… who trained under Sir Aaron," Lance had to blink a few times before slowly nodding. Okay… His little friend captured a pokémon that used to belong to a legendary figure, no worries. "Thanks to aura, he was capable of using Night Daze. Staying with me and forming a bond made him able to unlock his past ability, Illusion. It seems ghost types earn some of their past abilities when they absorb aura, which is considered life energy in its purest form. At least, that's what I've gotten so far with my little research. Agatha must be interested."

Lance nodded after a while. His eyes turned serious. " _I'll notify her. If you get your eighth badge, contact us again and stay at Oak's lab. Agatha will probably want to see your Haunter or perhaps Gengar._ "

Nodding in agreement, he turned to Caitlin and Brock only to see that they started to cook.

"I'll contact you in the future if something happens, Lance. It's time for dinner," Ash told the champion who chuckled.

" _Alright. Tell them I said hi. Oh, if you get to Oak's lab, we'll have a small battle too since I'll personally bring Agatha there. We can see the Gengar in combat then,_ " Lance gave a wink before ending the call.

Ash smiled widely in thought. A battle against a champion, he might lose but that will definitely be a learning experience!

He just hoped that it wouldn't be against his main Dragonite… That is a beast that can be compared to Oak's Dragonite. Those can fight against a few legendaries head on. Well, lesser legendaries… They still have no chance against a Kyogre for one.

He'll look forward to it. But for now… _Time to eat!_

* * *

It took another week before they reached Celadon and now Brock was nagging Ash about evolving his Pokémon.

Yep, it's time to mocktrade his pokémon with Brock's so that they can finally evolve. Shaking his head in amusement at seeing a Brock that acts like a kid on caffeine he walked towards the Pokémon Center with the others in tow.

Their pokémon for today were exhausted, even Pikachu thanks to some massive sparring session. Even Caitlin's were tired since it was both Brock and Ash against her.

They still lost against her Gallade, but at least managed to win against her Gardevoir. Even if it took a Tyranitar, Royal Species Golett and a Royal Species Talonflame and Ash's Pikachu to do so.

"Yes Brock, we'll evolve them. Let them heal for a bit before we do so, alright? They're tired from training."

Brock rubbed the back of his head in an embarassed manner.

Caitlin shook her head fondly. Two weeks already passed since she joined them and it's still the same old story between the two. If Ash isn't excited, Brock is. If both aren't, she is.

Well, that did explain her fourth pokémon - a Metang.

They were traveling next to a cave when they heard fighting and spotted a Metang fighting against some poachers which most likely tried to bring him somewhere before it escaped. Seeing that state, the three children fought against the poachers with their pokémon and took them out.

Honestly, a poacher with a Tyranitar and a Weavile… Where was this world going to if they had access to such pokémon? Their pokémon were taken away to rehab centers and the poachers were sent to the league jail where they can only _dream_ of seeing sunlight again.

Pokémon poaching is punishable by life sentences. It's that extreme in Kanto and Johto. It was the result of seeing some poachers try to grab a Dratini in the Safari Zone but they ended up killing it.

This was, however, not the one with the X under its horn but a different one. It was also what made that Dratini evolve into a Dragonair and made sure that the poachers will never be able to hold a pokéball or weapon again. Let alone walk.

Dealing with an angered Dragonair is not something any person would want. Dragonites even less.

When they finished beating up the poachers, the Metang approached Caitlin in respect at seeing her use such strong psychic type pokémon and asked to join her team. Ash gladly translated for her and Caitlin and Metang were instantly friends as they embraced each other.

Heck, Caitlin felt like she was blessed by Arceus at meeting a pseudo-legendary of her type and the chance to train one.

After Nurse Joy finished healing their pokémon both Ash and Brock walked towards the trading area. Looking at his Cherish Ball, Ash frowned in thought before nodding. It sounded like a good idea.

He closed his eyes as he began to fill the Cherish Ball and in turn also Trickster with aura until ti reached a pretty high amount before the trade. This'll make the base aura gain much higher… possibly strengthen him as a Gengar.

He heard a voice of approval in his mind from his Haunter. It seems that the Ghost pokémon completely agreed with the idea.

Placing the cherish ball inside of the trading machine, they started off with a trade for Golem and Gengar.

Both of them placed the balls inside of the trading machine and started the trade. Walking to the front of the machine they could see their pokémon passing by in a black version of their pokédex entry.

Nodding, they grabbed the pokémon. Ash called out Graveler that began to glow whereas Brock called out Haunter that began to glow.

Both pokémon began to get bigger. Graveler became rounder and looked similar to a boulder with arms and legs, as well as a head in front of it.

Haunter changed the most, however.

Instead of a normal shiny Gengar, there stood a borderline black Gengar with poison green irises and dark red slits instead of just a pair of slits as its eyes. The usual red colour around the slit was a dark red and the tips of the spiky parts of gengar seemed to have gained a dark red tint. His feet and hands, in an easier way of explaining it, had some red glowing marks as well. The colors are similar to that of a Zoroark's red hair.

" _Hehehe.. I feel so much better now! I can feel that my dark energy got much, much stronger!_ " Trickster's elated voice reached everyone - even the trainers in the pokémon center other than the trio - and made them look at the special Gengar in shock. The group ignored it though.

Brock nodded in agreement. "Return so we can trade back the pokémon and get Steelix," Brock was eager to see his starter _finally_ reach its evoluton.

The Gengar nodded seriously. While Trickster was very happy with his evolution, he could wait with shouting out in happiness to help out Brock.

He couldn't evolve without his help after all!

Ash smiled and pat the Golem on its head before returning it. He felt no fear despite being attacked by one in the past. Probably because he knew this Golem too well.

The Golem just smiled appreciatively and its red eyes showed appreciation at being admired by Ash. It returned to the Pokéball without a single complaint and was promptly traded back to Brock. They also quickly traded Onix and back after giving it a metal coat so Brock can call him out outside. It did save some time to do a quick trade back.

When the boys stepped outside with Caitlin just remaining inside to drink some tea - she didn't really care about seeing an evolution again - they called out the Onix and watched in amazement as Brock's starter was finally evolving.

The stone snake began to expand as well as grow from its previous size. Since Onix was now upright instead of being half on the ground they had to stare up at the growing Onix which was gradually becoming a Steelix. Bars of Steelix's metal came out of the usual figure as it gained some width and definitely weight but they were too impressed at the sight.

The usual rocky figure became a slicker metal, silverish colour. The Steelix showed red eyes before roaring out to the world to announce it's evolution. It even shook the Pokémon Center as the pokémon happily checked if his body worked properly.

"Congratulations, Steelix!" Ash shouted out and made the Iron Snake Pokémon look down before coming down to their size and Brock instantly rushed up to hug the Steelix's head.

"I'm so glad you finally evolved. You finally got your wish buddy… How does it feel?!" Brock spoke, nearly in tears at seeing his starter finally reach one of its dreams.

The Steelix began speaking and Ash instantly translated for Brock.

" _I feel great, Brock. Thank you for finally evolving me… I liked being an Onix, but I love my new form. I can't wait to battle with Tyranitar now! Ha, he'll definitely be shocked!"_ The Steelix gave its version of a laugh and Ash began snickering.

"Seems like you are going to see a battle of beasts, Brock. Tell me when Tyranitar and Steelix will fight," Ash spoke meaning well.

Brock just let out a sigh at his O...Steelix's rivalry with Tyranitar. He knew that Tyranitar boasted to be the strongest but with Steelix and Golett possibly evolving in the future he wasn't too sure.

Steelix is massive and its weight can be used very well in combat. Tyranitar is a powerhouse, plain and simple. It's a pseudo-legendary after all… Golett, after evolving, might as well meet Steelix in height and have some massive power too.

It'll be a headache to prevent any mass damage on nature with those three.

"I see… We'll look for a location you two can battle to your heart's content later. For now, it's time to win Ash's sixth badge," Brock chuckled at seeing the Steelix blink before looking around. It nodded soon after and turned to Ash.

" _Good luck Ash!_ " it cheered for Ash who just smiled and thanked him gratefully as he watched the massive Iron Snake Pokémon being returned.

"Well then… For now, it's time to rest. I'll challenge the gym at the end of the month… I need more training if I want to win against her. I have a couple of months left anyway," Ash shrugged in a helpless manner.

Brock snickered. Yes, Erika might as well run away from Ash if they'll battle… Ahh well, it'll be fun to see her getting beaten like that. Especially since it's just the 10th of the month… 20 good ol' days to train.

Wait… Did he just think of a girl without any perverted fantasy?

Brock fell to his knees as he cried out to the skies.

 **"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

 _Brock was losing some of his perverted nature… His goal of being a super pervert was getting further and further away from him!_

* * *

 **Hello everyone! Welcome to the chapter where they reach Celadon. It's new for me not to rush… I kinda added another gym. I mean, why stop at 8 badges? Might as well get 9 and consider Matt's as special.**

 **Why did I make Ash battle that gym? It's because Ash, in this story, was getting far too confident. He needed a life lesson to humble down and increase his training.**

 **Now, together with Caitlin and Brock, he'll get even stronger. Who said that training without any friends would make him stronger than before? Having an elite-level trainer to spar against and a friend with powerhouse pokémon will be very amusing.**

 **By the way: Brock can carry up to 20 pokémon as former Gym-leader priviledge. This is to capture rowdy groups of Pokémon. What fossil pokémon should I give him? You can select any! Just 'cause it's a rock type. Do note that after they left Saffron, Brock already sent the pokémon home. I forgot to write that I think...**

 **Togepi, in this story, will go to Caitlin. This is to meet her in Hoenn again as an elite four member and see her progress.**

 **Well… Erika's gon' have a tuff battle. Do any of you have complaints about today's chapter? I'd love to hear them in reviews. Just don't tell me things such as 'evolve Pikachu already'.** **I made him more special this chapter!**

 **I mean.. surfing, water attack using Pikachu. Yes, that. I went there.**

 **P.S. 100K word achievement – Get.**

 **Hope you all like today's chapter! See you next week where I most likely have time to write again!**


	10. Road of Progress

**Hi everyone! Welcome to this week's chapter of Road of the Master! This chapter is basically focused on Celadon for once. Why? 'Cause a) training and b) progress.**

 **I can't simply make them strong enough to battle gyms in just a couple of days right?**

 **Still, there's enough time for the journey. Have no fear for _certain_ story parts such as a certain _project_ that is mentioned in this chapter.**

 **Onto reviews!**

 **BlackxDragonxEmperor (question only): Are you gonna let Ash have more Pokémon since his limit is ten for his main battlers?**

 **A: Well yes, I will. I've decided on six per region or event. Think of it like: Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Battle Frontier, Sinnoh and so on. Each 'region' will have six Pokémon to be captured. Ideas are appreciated!**

 **Tomoe Mami: Do you backlog these and post at will or do you post whenever a chapter is ready?**

 **A: Well I kinda post whenever it's ready. Yes, I might backlog for an hour to re-read or do something else that requires me attention meanwhile but I do intend to post on the same day it's finished. I don't like waiting myself and there's a usual wait of a week with my chapters.**

 **Also, thank you for your reviews Vital Info. Raw power indeed. This chapter will contain a very sinister sense of irony as well. I just can't let some gym leaders get ahead of themselves after Ash gets kicked down a notch. Swarms will definitely happen more often.**

 **As for the Safari… It'll be very different! Just know that it'll be an interesting take! After all, why would Ash go into the Safari if he isn't intending to capture Pokémon for his team unless a special event occurs or he reaches the next region (or Orange Islands)?**

 **Brock's newest Pokémon decision, a fossil Pokémon. What will it be? The votes so far are:**

 **1 vote for Omanyte! ( Very different from most yet still a little comment, I am interested nonetheless BlackxDragonxEmperor )  
** **1 vote for Anorith! ( A very underused Fossil Pokémon. It deserves more praise! Thank you for your vote, Vital Info. )  
** **1 vote for Tirtouga ( My own vote! A very underused Pokémon. Nobody gives it the attention it deserves! )  
** **1 vote for Kabuto! ( Very common but the reasoning behind it is good. Makes me wonder why not a different one as there's Tirtouga and Omanyte, but still. Thanks for your vote, Flamingpheonixlbj2! )**

 **Now more about the chapter… Yes, Team Rocket makes a bigger approach this chapter. Albeit not completely detailed and more skipped over as grunts aren't that big of a deal. A minor admin with some knowledge was useful which was also noted in this. They also gain a new way to contact the league. They do need it with the troubles on the road.**

 **So, this chapter a lot of people will throw rocks at me for involving a Legendary. Why did I do it? I kinda felt like it… plus Ash needed more warnings on his destiny. There's also the fact a _certain_ activity will attract the attention of _much older_ legends or those who have heard the stories. The reason being simple interest at seeing it happen.**

 **I also want to do this ahead of time but what Pokémon will Ash capture in the Orange Islands? I've decided on three permanently so far. You can add three more! The Pokémon I've decided might be chosen but I won't mention it as it'll be a spoiler.**

 **Anyway! Enjoy the chapter! Feel free to review if there's something wrong with it because I haven't had the chance or time to fully re-read it and change parts. This was practically written with a very exhausted mind. ( I wanted to add so many things, but seeing how there's enough time in the next few chapters.. I'll do that. )**

* * *

Ash and his friends are now staying at Celadon. When they arrived Brock had decided he wanted to evolve his Graveler and Onix, so Ash helped out. Now, both trainers have new full evolved Pokémon.

However, Ash added something to his research. Thanks to his aura, his Gengar looked completely different from a normal one in color. Yes, Gengar was a shiny one originally but right now it completely changed to a completely different kind.

Red markings were on his arms and legs, similar to that of the Giant Gengar. They looked like 'flames' of energy so to speak.

There's also the fact that this Gengar is nearly pitch black instead of dark purple.

Writing about what the effects are, he also noted a type change.

His Gengar became a Ghost/Dark type! Nearly no weaknesses! Well, it is possible that that is because of him being a former Dark type. That would mean that there can be Ghost/Fire type Pokémon if done or possibly a Ghost/Dragon. Who knew of those kinds of typing?

Naturally, only few can use aura so these can be considered extremely rare were his theory to be true. There's also the fact surrounding Gengar's 'birth' as a Ghost type. What made him remember his past life and experiences? Was it circumstances upon passing away?

Trickster told the group that he'll tell his story once he is comfortable. Ash wrote down the need for this as he wanted to make no mistakes with his research.

Other than that, Ash learnt that by granting his Greninja some aura, the fighting-type moves become a lot easier. Thanks to that, Ash began feeding the Kalos starter some aura before he trained. This is to learn new moves and get used to them…

His Greninja will become a beast in close combat. If there's no close combat, he can also resort to medium distance with his attacks. A very good combination.

Other than these things, Ash began thinking of _inventing_ new moves. What stops him from doing so?

Like Falcon's Spinning Quick Attack. It's simply adding a spin, but because of it, it can go through whirlwinds or even cancel them depending how he spins. It also adds a drilling effect. Perhaps he can teach his Talonflame Peck? That would make it so much more powerful.

Thinking about that made Ash giddy. New trainers will never know what hit them simply because new moves aren't recorded until official league matches and they're rated as good moves to teach.

Many trainers keep them as a secret though. Why wouldn't they? Copycats are everywhere. You don't want clones of yourself popping up.

These were all things that Ash was thinking of when he got there. Today, after a good night's rest, they will go shopping for items and food so they can live in the wild for a bit to train.

The best part, however, was when Ash checked the amount of money he had on his trainer account.

Every trainer automatically earns money each battle and loses as well. This is to make traveling easier for those who progress. Trainers who stay near their homes often battle travelers to support the 'winners' of their area. This is why Ash likes to battle every now and then.

Gym leaders also give a lot as a reward for beating their gym. It's surprising how much they give a trainer, but nobody complains about that.

But it seems that there is a _third_ method. You can help out the league. When Ash checked his trainer account he could see what he earned. Naturally, he also lost some after losing some battles.

 ** _List of incoming reward money_**

 ** _Last week_**

 **ID1952232 - Added 3092 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11005062**

 **ID1952231 - Added 1020 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11052600**

 **ID1952229 - Added 2050 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11061212**

 **ID1952228 - Added 650 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11061221**

 **ID1952226 - Added 12502 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11022212**

 **ID1952225 - The League has added 50,000 pokédollars to your trainer account for stopping a wild pack of dangerous Mankey from attacking other trainers.**

 ** _…_**

 **Total amount: 212,396 Poké**

Yes. He saved up a lot thanks to the occasional trainer battle and gym battle.

It seems he also got around 100,000 as a reward for helping out with the Tentacruel problem. To get another 50,000 for simply helping out with a wild pack of Pokémon is pretty nice too.

 _Yes, having connections with the champion helps. If he was anonymous, he'd get no reward at all._

* * *

So the group is now heading towards the Celadon Department Store.

A famous shopping location where many trainers go to purchase new items. From training equipment (basic ones) to special vitamins for pokémon to grow up. They even sell 'boosters' which are considered legal drugs. Of course, you cannot use them during the league battles or you'll be disqualified.

Of course, they also sell items such as potions or status recovery medicine, capture items such as rare pokéballs, evolution items and TMs.

Ash, to this day, hates TMs. Yes, a Pokémon can learn new moves easily with them, but have they mastered it? Not in the slightest. Yes, they can master it after using TMs but… Doing it through hard work makes you understand the element that you intend to use. A Gyarados can learn a more powerful version of Flamethrower by learning it naturally.

How do you teach a pokémon a specific move outside of their natural typing? You get a helper. A second pokémon such as he has can often help them learn. It's also possible to explain it fully to a pokémon. Search for their raw energy and then think of a specific element. Try to understand what it means. Fire for one, is not just flames. It has impact, burning capabilities and heat. You can also help a Pokémon out to learn a fire-type move by handing out a Charcoal and make them search for the energy within it.

Like that, there are many methods. Stones for one aren't just evolutionary items either. They contain an element. An element one can either absorb or study.

So he'd rather _not_ spend ~10,000 Poké just for some technical machine that can only be used one. Yes, there is a crack for it in Unova but it's only legal over there.

Try it in Kanto and you're doomed when found out.

Now why would Ash, who has training equipment and cherish balls to capture new Pokémon, go there to shop? It's simple: Quality food, quality vitamins and specific items one might need. He needs some evolutionary stones he does not have yet, hold items may also be useful and Meowth can definitely use a brand new Amulet to upgrade his Pay Day attack.

Oh, it's also a fact that a Meowth can replace the Amulet. By doing so with a new one made of high quality, it can boost the attack power of a Pay Day.

Ash silently hoped to turn that in a Pay Bomb. He just needed to learn how to teach a Pokémon to explode thrown objects.

Kind of like moves such as Aura Sphere.

He will also purchase many new kinds of medicine as well as some books about the other professors their researches in order to go further with his own studies. He already finished all the books the professor had in his library anyway.

Those were a lot of books… interesting to read though. This 12 year old is capable of completing university so one must never underestimate this child.

"So what are you going to buy, Brock?" Ash asked his first traveling companion. Right now he had Meowth on his shoulder as Pikachu was resting after getting sick by having too much ketchup.

Ash shouldn't have mentioned that there would be no ketchup for the rest of the year unless he trains extremely hard until the end of the month. It _does_ get Pikachu _extremely_ motivated though.

"Oh, just some supplies Ash. I'm also interested in thinking of evolving Vulpix and Roselia after we finish our month of training," Brock explained and Ash nodded with a grin.

Caitlin smiled a little as she joined in, "I intend to buy some small items and new traveling clothes. My dress makes it hard to move in and seeing how you guys probably intend to train yourself… Some self defense training for myself may do some good," she explained her idea.

Ash wanted to ask her the same, but she was too fast to answer it. Shrugging somewhat, he offered her a smile. "I've got some good books explaining various martial art forms for that training. It's mostly pictures and how to improve it though," Ash explained as he did read those. It's good to know how to fight. Poachers and such are all dangers on the road. A trainer needs to know self defense in case their pokémon are busy.

Caitlin looked appreciatively at Ash, "Thanks Ash! Saves me some time to search…" She sighed at the hard time she'd have to find out a good way. Yes, she had powerful pokémon and yes she had some psychic powers but they're not always available.

Curse the Dark type Pokémon.

"Well, I'll see you guys at the training ground we decided on. It's at the clearing with the river, I'll mark some trees so you know where," Ash started as the other two nodded.

They'll spend at least 3 weeks in the wild. Time for some supply shopping.

* * *

Ash grumbled as he stared at all the items being sold. He needed some berries, special pokéchow that is meant for growth increase as well as a portable recovery machine..

Let it be known that those portable things are _expensive_. Good thing he got some money for doing good jobs. Good connections.

So he made a shopping list, plain and simple. There's also a heavy price tag, but it'll get him going in the long run. Nobody ever said that being a good trainer is _cheap_. Ash understood that very well… His mother often made him take care of monetary matters since he studied under Oak. It helped out quite a bit.

So he began writing down on a list, looking quite concentrated as Meowth just looked at it.

 _Being capable of reading as a Pokémon rocks._

 ** _Shopping List_**

 ** _20 Super Potions_**

 ** _10 Revives_**

 ** _25 berries of each kind_**

 ** _100 KG of special Pokéchow_**

 ** _Vitamins of all kinds for a month_**

 ** _2 of each evolution stone_**

 ** _1 portable recovery machine ( recharge capability, 6 pokémon at once ) ( Praise Arceus for Pikachu )_**

 ** _2 training set clothes_**

 ** _1 of each hold item ( Charcoal, Miracle Seed, Mystic Water etc. )_**

 ** _1 Amulet Coin_**

 **Total cost: _163,700 Poké_**

Nodding in agreement at seeing the total costs, he started his shopping session. It's a good idea to confirm what you intend to buy before doing so in case heavy prices appear out of nowhere.

Curse the recovery machine for being so expensive though. Maybe he should've asked Professor Oak? Nah, that'd be plain favoritism. Others would complain.

Sighing, he went ahead to to the food store first. Brock will most likely purchase the human food for the rest of the month plus they can live off of the wild in case it's needed.

Even now, Ash praised the glorious mind of those who made minor gravity capsules that can carry heavy weight equipment as well as lessen bag space by doing so. If he ever met them, he'll kneel to the men or women in praise.

* * *

"So we are first Ash?" Meowth asked as he finished scratching on the trees. It was quite obvious which was to go as he used Metal Claw in order to cut straight into the trees. It just looked like a Pokémon was training to most, but all swipes went in a single direction which meant to follow it.

"Yep. I hate to say this but right now we're not ready for some harder challenges. We may win Celadon City, but we can't beat the Cinnabar or Viridian City gym," Ash nodded.

Meowth gulped slightly, "Maybe ye should not go dere. To Viridian I mean," Meowth started.

Ash's eyes narrowed slightly as if saying 'tell me why'.

Meowth let out a tired sigh, "Da boss is the leader dere. We don't know how, but he's da Viridian Gym leader. He usually makes others lead it tho, but there's still the off chance…"

Ash's eyes nearly glowed in slight rage. Who did their job in the league? It seems that all the Joys, the elite 4 and some Jenny's did their job right. Where the heck are all the _ace trainers_ and _G-men?_

Shaking his head, he began writing up a training menu to follow this month. It was of importance to do so anyway.

"Come on out everyone and start stretching while I write a menu," Ash called out all of his Pokémon which instantly began to stretch. Even Pikachu looked healthier compared to the unhealthy look he had after having all that ketchup…

Thinking about his team, Ash frowned. Now to write a list of what to do… He'll have to do it right. Not on torture level but very close. They needed to get that _push_.

He thought of some ideas before writing them down.

 _Training regime Celadon City_

He made sure to write Celadon City there. That way he knows where he started it in the future.

 _06:00_ \- Stretching and jogging to warm up for the day

 _07:00_ \- Meditation until _08:00_ ( Pokémon and trainers )

 _08:00_ \- Breakfast

 _08:30_ \- Start physical training ( Pokémon and trainers )

 _12:30_ \- Lunch

 _13:00_ \- Elemental and move practice ( Self study for trainers )

 _16:00_ \- Sparring until _18:00_ ( Pokémon and trainers )

 _18:30_ \- Dinner ( Special growth menu )

 _19:00_ \- Start physical training again ( Pokémon and trainers )

 _22:00_ \- Meditation until _23:00_ ( Pokémon and trainers )

 _23:00_ \- Sleep

He had to think about the timetable. Yes, they'll have a harsh training month but this is for progress. They won't have to travel so nothing will disturb them. Wild Pokémon may appear and are great practice as they're quite deep inside of the forest so there will be less weaker ones.

Maybe they'll meet some wild ones that want to tag along? Ash never complained, he liked to help out Pokémon. It's also fun to see the wild Pokémon lighten up to you, as if getting used to a teacher.

It's also important to push Brock, Caitlin and himself in some training. He neglected it a little after starting to travel but this was very important now that he had such rare pokémon. Especially Gengar.

"Meowth, can you come here and confirm if it's not borderline torture?" Ash asked out loud. Obviously, he intended to scare some of the weaker willed pokémon of his team but after fighting Matt… it seems they all had determination on his level. _Good_.

"Sure, let me see," Meowth picked up Ash's training menu for the entire month and nodded a few times.

"Yeh, it's pretty good. Half an hour breaks which gives us some time to let the food go down as well as rest some of our muscles. Meditation also helps in relaxation. Seven hours of sleep are good," Meowth agreed as he handed it back to Ash.

Ash chuckled slightly, "If it was the old you, Meowth, you would've cried blood."

Meowth laughed a little before going back to his stretching and warming up. _It was true after all._ Ever since meeting Ash, he began to change into a Pokémon that wants to get stronger. He's definitely stronger compared to before and the road to the top is still a _long_ way.

Plus, they have a lot of regions to do. They have the time… There is no need to rush. One must be patient in growing up. Ash often says this after the battle in Saffron City.

"Ash! We're here," Brock called out from the forest as he popped up with Caitlin. Both carried some heavy bags as they had all kinds of food and tents, possibly some other camping equipment they might need.

"Hey Brock, Caitlin. Can you check the training menu for this month? I've let Meowth check and he agreed," He held out the paper to Caitlin first as she was the more experienced one out of the three.

Caitlin instantly looked at the paper sharply, "You're cutting off a lot of my _beauty sleep_ but I agree. This is a good training menu… How did your old one look?" She asked curiously.

Ash grumbled slightly before scratching his cheek. "All the meditation hours are breaks. Breaks for food were also longer," Ash admitted.

Caitlin let out a small giggle. He listens well to advice and adapts right away. That is the quality of a good trainer.

Brock took the menu before nodding in agreement. "I can use some good training as well. I've always kept myself fit, but if we ever get in trouble it's good to train. Some sparring sessions also help," Brock nodded sagely at the end.

Grinning slightly, Ash looked at Brock with a teasing glint, "Can't have me stronger than you?"

Brock returned the grin with a challenging smile, "You bet Ash. I've got to score some ladies on the road!"

Both of them laughed. Caitlin shook her head as she began to set up her 'home' for the upcoming month. Good thing they are near a river which meant bathing time.

* * *

The three trainers and their pokémon were now almost at the end of the training for the month. All three of them made progress in martial arts again as well as gain some slight muscle for training pretty hard.

The Pokémon were training like machines. They did not take breaks sometimes even when needed and their progress was astonishing. Heck, even Caitlin looked impressed as her Pokémon trained extremely well both physically and mentally with the training menu.

Ash's recipes as well as training notes in his Pokémon Encyclopedia helped her out greatly.

All three trainers began to teach their Pokémon new moves when they _mastered_ their old ones. Even now, Ash had thought up something other trainers often neglect.

Moves that they only know. Moves that they create with their imaginative mind.

Ash trained his Pokémon for them in the last week. Greninja gained a move that would put many Water Pokémon to shame because of its usefulness.

 _Water Cutter_. The water type version of _Air Cutter_. Greninja focuses water on his hands and slowly formed a 'blade' before slashing forward. Compressing all the water and adding a layer of energy around it, he sends out a blade made out of water forward. It's quite literally 'Water Cutter' and often helps cutting trees and other objects. Greninja was a natural at it once learnt and adding his recent training of fighting type moves and techniques… Yeah, that's some scary stuff.

Pikachu finally mastered Slam and Ash thought of a unique way to use it. By charging electricity and using Slam, it quite literally becomes an 'Electric Slam'. Taking it further, it became 'Electro Slam' after combining it with Electro Ball and 'Electric Slam'.

How does that work? After sending out an Electro Ball, Pikachu forces his Lightningrod ability onto it if it misses causing it to come back to him and then slams against it with an electrically charged tail as if hitting a tennis ball. It is a move that can be used on the run, especially with Pikachu's great speed.

Using Iron Tail also worked, but by using electricity with Slam made the Electro Ball stronger. There's also the fact that sometimes Pikachu focuses on sharpness and Iron Tail cuts through it because Pikachu has his reflexive defense actions through training. Ash didn't blame him at all.

He made sure to let his Talonflame practice more Flying type moves. One of them was Wing Attack and seeing the potential to it he decided to up it on the list. It now became a Fire/Flying type move called Flame Wing. It speaks for itself how it works as Talonflame coats his wings with his flames.

Taking no damage from those flames was the tricky part, but they managed to work it out with proper control lessons. Yes, this was one of the moments where 'knowing your element' and 'meditation' came in.

His Amaura went up on the list as well. While not a new move in particular, it's a move that few Pokémon know and is extremely useful when using it in consecutive attacks. Ice Ball. It practically speaks for itself outside of the fact that it gets stronger each time it's used. Glacia liked the move a lot and sometimes began practicing her Headbutt on an ice ball and keep it up in the air. It became a little game during breaks with the others. The ice was a lot tougher compared to normal ice.

Meowth powered up a move that none thought could be changed. Pay Day, the move where Meowth makes coins appear with the same design as that of an Amulet Coin with pure energy received an added effect.

 _EXPLOSIONS!_ Right now, his Pay Day evolved into what Meowth named Coin Bomb. While it can't be used in rapid succession as he can only create three at a time for now, it was technically a great move to surprise some trainers who think of it differently. It was actually when Meowth overcharged a Pay Day that it came to Ash.

Trickster became one of the scariest Pokémon he had. Next to the fact the Gengar became Ghost/Dark as a typing, its Illusion ability became half of what it was in the past. While he can't create long term illusions or extremely damaging ones, he can create multiple forms and distract an opponent. Having legs and muscles within them made it a lot faster than when it was a Zoroark so he didn't need to use Illusion on himself unless he wanted claws. Something Ash agreed with as a Gengar's natural speed is above that of a Zoroark.

There's also the fact he can _fly_ as a Gengar.

He created a move that was extremely similar to Meowth's attack, Dark Bomb. By overcharging a Dark Pulse in the form of a Shadow Ball, he sends it out and the shell around the overcharged energy gradually weakens until it explodes.

Not just that, but he also made a rapid fire for his Shadow Balls thanks to some great practice. While weaker, it's useful when trying to either hit multiple targets or faster opponents.

That's just it for unique moves but their strength and special attacks increased beyond belief. Heck, some were even twice as fast as before. Ash did tell the Gengar to lay off the illusions until he gets into trouble or the opponent is far tougher than himself. It's a last resort slash trump card.

His Amaura often complained about wanting to evolve but there was no 'right time' yet in her opinion. Ash also wanted to at least let the Professor and his mother know when Glacia will evolve as the aurora will show in all of Kanto.

Well, all of this and they learned new combat styles. Pikachu, Hermit, Meowth and Gengar in particular began to use 'controlled' elements and made them focus on a single point.

It was perfectly fine to see the damage they caused until they began to split _boulders_. Pikachu in particularly made Ash and the others _stare_ at seeing a small, yellow mouse Pokémon considered to be physically weak _split_ a damn _boulder_ at the size of a Tyranitar.

 _In another universe, Ittõsai Kunieda was very proud of someone, somewhere, learning one of his moves on his or her own._

Well, it was good for battlefield control when they found out Pikachu could split the ground with it as well. The rest of those who could use minor fighting type moves also learnt it pretty fast.

Heck, even Ash learnt it. Brock and Caitlin could do it on smaller rocks when they found out how to actually manipulate their aura a little. Nobody ever said that they weren't learning it now that Ash began 'feeding' them aura during the day.

Eh, Ash missed nothing. He had too much aura anyway.

With the new moves and increased physical and special abilities, they were ready for at least the seventh 'official' gym in Cinnabar Island. Gary already notified Ash about it but he didn't really care.

He had to beat Erika, Koga, Blaine and Giovanni. All four of them in … Well, he had to confirm his calendar.

… He has what? Half a year left? He can take his time to train for each gym but he shouldn't spend too much time as he needed to train for the league as well.

The guys there are monsters if you don't watch out. But Ash, ever since leaving Saffron City, was never complacent. He always kept looking forward to more training and getting stronger. He will get stronger and stronger until he stands at the peak with his pokémon. Until then, every Pokémon - even a baby Rattata - will be a potential opponent to look out for.

Talking about baby Rattata, they met a couple of them in the clearing. They were apparently still babies when looking at their size but they trained alongside them and improved pretty fast.

It was also good practice for Vulpix as those Rattata all knew Flame Wheel and so Vulpix could train its Flamethrower with no worries.

Egg moves, sometimes, are considered cheats in Ash's eyes. No matter in the end, since Ash learned that Pokémon can learn so called 'egg moves' if you train hard enough but they can instantly use the move once 'unlocked' and 'learned'. Once again, his Encyclopedia's data increased.

Other than the Rattata they met a couple of Oddish, Gloom and Vileplume that traveled in large groups. The Grass/Poison type pokémon stayed for a while to practice some of their moves and to learn Sunny Day and Synthesis with Brock's Roselia as well as Sludge Bomb.

There was also this small incident of meeting a Suicune that was traveling through Kanto and spotted them training like mad men.

She did a double take at seeing humans _split boulders_ and promptly asked what the heck was going on through her telepathy.

The three, now obviously used to weird things with Ash as Brock and Ash told Caitlin stories about Ho-oh and Kyogre just shrugged off the sight of seeing a Suicune and told it what they were doing.

The Suicune was kind enough to teach Hermit how to actually _stand_ on water. The Greninja thanked the Suicune kindly and the three trainers had a Legendary sparring partner for a day.

Hey, nobody ever said it's wrong to train with a wild Pokémon right?

It's just one of Ash's weird, lucky moments. They didn't even _think_ of capturing a Suicune which made it look weird at them in the end and question them.

[ Flashback: Start ]

" _Young trainers_ ," Suicune began as she walked up to them with confused red eyes, " _why are you not attempting to capture me?_ "

Ash shrugged as if not interested in the slightest, "I met Ho-oh and Kyogre," he showed his Rainbow Feather which made the Suicune _stare_ and realize _who_ this human is.

Brock spoke up next as he stretched his aching arms. "Well, I have no interest in capturing Legendary Pokémon. Yes, you guys are amazing but the trouble that will follow us will be far too annoying. Even now, Ash has trouble following him all around because I swear if Team Rocket spots his team they'll plot to steal them."

Ash couldn't help but agree.

Caitlin tilted her head slightly at the Suicune, "I have Entei as a Pokémon already."

Now all heads turned to her.

Caitlin realized her mistake before smiling awkwardly…

" _Oops…_ That was supposed to be a secret," she mumbled.

" _I see… I must say, I look forward to your progress. Once you reach Johto, where I mainly stay, come find me. I always seek a good battle and seeing your progress I am very interested. Perhaps you may capture me if you can defeat me, fufu,_ " the Suicune joked slightly… or was she serious? Nobody knew with that glint in her eyes.

Ash just smirked slightly. "Better not keep you waiting then! I'm going to the Orange Islands first though. I've heard that there are rare Pokémon there and there's also a small league with unique challenges," Ash began and the Suicune nodded in agreement.

" _I have visited the Orange Islands. Be careful when you reach Shamouti as the prophecy on that island will give you trouble, Ash._ "

"Huh? My name?" Ash turned to the Suicune in surprise. The Suicune looked a little smug.

" _The Prophecy speaks of 'the earth shall turn to Ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three. I won't say more as it is your destiny to most likely help out… I will warn you to prepare, as it might be one of your toughest challenges yet. Take this as a reward for impressing me, young trainers._ "

Ash, Brock and Caitlin blinked a few times before nodding dumbly. It seems that there'll be something big in Shamouti… They'll have to train _hard_.

" _I shall leave now. It was a pleasure to stretch my legs somewhat and have some small battles. Some even managed to injure me pretty well. Thank you for your medical attention, young medic,_ " the Suicune gave a bow to Brock before jumping off and rushing in high speeds that they couldn't follow with their eyes _yet_.

[ Flashback: End ]

Honestly, Ash will never know _how_ he meets Legendary Pokémon so often or _why_ they all liked him so much. He did manage to take a picture of Suicune with him as he wanted to tease the Professor… Suicune agreed with a gleam in her eyes.

 _Who knew Legendary Pokémon can be pranksters?_

That same day Ash could hear Oak practically scream in jealousy all the way from Celadon City when he mailed it.. along with receiving about 10 replies to hear of the experience by meeting Suicune.

But it helped greatly in their training. Now they were all ready.

Heck, Trickster was also taught his place once by Caitlin's Gallade and Brock's Steelix who apparently learned Crunch pretty fast.

Let it be known that a Steelix can bite… _hard_. Trickster still had some aches thinking about it.

It only shows that you must never get satisfied or ahead of yourself. Everyone can become slightly arrogant after getting much stronger, even the best of the best.

But now, the trainers were finishing packing up the tents and getting ready to head back. Every Pokémon was now outside of their ball to rest and have a conversation with each other about the training and experiences.

"I must say Ash, we learned some… very unique and new things," Brock spoke the 'new things' with some slight hesitance. What else can he say? He gained some minor aura control to at least send some power in his hits and learned how to split boulders.

Caitlin just smiled slightly. She definitely benefited from training with Ash as she mastered _all_ of the katas in the book as well as some improvised techniques which were learnt with Ash.

Do not underestimate a Psychic learning new things. They learn even faster than Ash when put in the right state of mind. It's only because Ash has an active imagination and a unique way of thinking that he's in the same league as Gary… along with his unending desire to get stronger.

"That's all good right? Your Pokémon learnt new moves. Heck, Steelix improved Iron Tail and made it _grow_. You can't complain about that… not even Pikachu can do that yet," Ash complained slightly.

Caitlin giggled as Brock and Ash got into an argument about 'teaching new moves' and 'being unfair'. Some things never change as the two boys could act like rivals at one point but best friends at the other.

Well, Brock also made great improvements as a doctor thanks to his self study lessons. He finished a lot of books which helped out the Suicune at the end.

"Come on boys, let's leave already," Caitlin rolled her eyes. She wanted a _hot shower_ already. The rivers are okay but some luxuries are always a want.

"Okay," both boys agreed as they asked their Pokémon who wanted to stay out. Apparently they were all still tired so they returned all of them.

"Let's go then! First trip to the Pokémon Center and we'll go to Celadon to store up some new food and medicine. Only THEN can you challenge Erika, Ash!" Caitlin ordered somewhat. Seeing her like that, Ash could only agree and followed. Brock was walking like a machine behind Caitlin.

 _Girls can be scary._

* * *

After they went back to the city, had some refreshments which meant that Caitlin had her much desired shower, they went shopping. The usual list of purchasing food as well as an everstone for Meowth who currently had no desire to evolve yet.

It was quite funny to see Meowth struggle against his evolution when it happened at the end of the training session. Apparently he wasn't ready for it yet in his honest opinion.

Yes, he wanted to prove he was amazing as a Meowth before actually evolving.

Ash honored his wishes just like any other of his Pokémon's wishes.

Besides - he wanted to train Meowth a lot more before actually evolving. Unlike common belief that after evolution they can grow more, there's also the fact that the stronger they are pre-evolution, the stronger they after post-evolution.

"Well it's time to battle Erika… Where's her gym, Brock?" He asked his companion, who often reads those pamphlets with such information.

Ash never knows when or where Brock gets one. If he did, he'd get one himself.

"Her gym also functions as a flower shop.. It has a Gloom design, despite Erika evolving her Gloom a while ago," Brock told his companion.

Caitlin looked at Brock, "No comments on her beauty?"

Brock let out a sigh after hearing that. He really started changing. Maybe it's a good thing, maybe it's a bad thing.

* * *

"Welcome to the Celadon City Gym," A young girl introduced the trainers to Erika's gym.

They met the girl halfway there as they were going to the same gym, so they just tagged along and decided to talk about grass types and their abilities.

Brock in particular was interested because of his Roselia.. Thinking of Roselia, he did promise her to evolve her after the training. She trained so hard with Vulpix, she really deserved it.

He'll do it after the gym battle Ash has.

"Thanks Midori," Ash thanked the girl now named Midori. The girl in question smiled at the trainer as she guided him and his friends towards the battle area inside of the gym.

"Erika! You have a new challenger!" Midori called out to the Gym Leader. When they looked around, Ash instantly began analyzing the battlefield but then spotted a girl sitting there with her grass types.

A pretty big Venusaur, a decently trained Torterra and a tougher looking Vileplume were sitting together with a girl - Erika - as they were having some small snacks.

Erika looked to be around 15 years old. She had medium length, straight black hair and droopy black eyes. One might even mistake her for a model at first. She wore a green hair tie and a beautiful yellow kimono with green flower imprints on it. The obi it was tied with was the same color as the hair tie, emerald green.

She noticed the trainers coming in and offered a polite smile. "Welcome trainers, I take it you are another challenger for the gym?"

Ash nodded, "I am. These are my friends Brock and Caitlin," he pointed at Brock and Caitlin respectively. "They travel with me but I'm the gym challenger," Ash explained so she could focus on his battle.

Erika simply smiled as she stood up. "Then we shall hold a battle. I assume you are at least a seven badge trainer?"

Ash blinked a few times before shrugging, "Yeah. We can do that." He didn't deny it. If he did, she might give him a _five_ badge challenge because he only has four official badges and that's just an insult to his team.

Erika nodded as she let Vileplume go ahead to the area. Seeing that, Ash called out his Amaura to combat the Vileplume. This would be a nice challenge for the Ice/Rock type.

Erika blinked a few times at seeing such a beautiful Pokémon. The special effects after being called out of the ball also mentioned that it is shiny.

"Glacia, this Vileplume is tough. You can see the poison gathering inside of the flower… which is larger than average too," Ash grunted slightly at seeing the tough opponent. However, Glacia was a predator to these kinds of Pokémon.

Seeing the Pokémon, the Glacia's eyes became fierce. It seems that she was ready for battle as the fossil Pokémon began to cool the air around it as if ready to take action whenever.

There was no judge. There was no need for a judge this battle.

Erika simply smiled, "Vileplume, use Leech Seed please," the Vileplume instantly fired multiple seeds towards the Amaura that now glared even _fiercer_.

What did they think she is? A little Magikarp that can only bounce on the floor? This is _child's play_.

The Amaura let out a small roar as the seeds were instantly frozen, canceling the move that was fired at it. Taking the chance, the Amaura forced ice to form around the seeds to create miniature ice balls and fired them straight at the Vileplume.

"Dodge!" Erika called out as the Vileplume jumped upwards to avoid the Ice Balls that expertly chose all sides the Vileplume can go to…

A mistake was made..

A real Ice Ball was charged in front of the Amaura's mouth and fired at the Vileplume that was still in the air, being three times as strong as the previous ice balls that were fired.

"Vileplume! Petal Blizzard!" the Vileplume began to spin around in the air, multiple pink petals around it as it nearly became a twister of petals.

Sadly, that move distracted the Vileplume. The Amaura fired an icy wind at the ground, once again taking control of the battlefield. After the Petal Blizzard ended the Vileplume reached the ground… and promptly slipped.

"Take down!" Ash called out as the Amaura began to glow an icy blue. Refrigerate is such a useful ability. The Amaura charged straight at the Vileplume, running on ice like it's a Goldeen swimming in the water.

"Vileplume!" Erika called out in worry as the Vileplume received the full force of the take down. Now, normally a Pokémon feels recoil but after practicing it the right way and training the body properly, Amaura felt nothing at all.

Take down was essentially an overcharged Tackle. Lessening the power to acceptable levels made the move unable to hurt the Fossil Pokémon.

Now that the Vileplume was launched in the air the Amaura fired a fourth ice ball. Since the field was frozen and the area was much colder now, the ice ball charged faster than before and became twice the size as the one that was dodged by the use of Petal Blizzard.

Vileplume was still in a state of hurt as she was fired into the air. It was quite obvious that Take Down hurt it quite a bit thanks to becoming a super effective move with Amaura's ability.

The Ice Ball fired straight at the Vileplume with deadly accuracy. As the ball hit the Grass/Poison Flower Pokémon, Erika swiftly returned her as it was the Amaura's win.

"I see… Your pokémon is very independent, but that just means you have no bond with your Pokémon. Only when there is a bond, a Pokémon and trainer can be truly powerful," Erika smirked slightly as her Torterra ran up to the field.

Ash stared at Erika. Glacia stared at Erika.

Both turned to each other before Ash's eyes began to glow a little thanks to his anger and aura acting up.

"One move," he spoke in false calm.

The Amaura nodded in complete agreement. Yes, she knew him only for a few months now… but they have build a bond that will last for many, many years. This girl just insulted that.

Glacia do _not_ like.

Opening her mouth as she didn't even wait, as the Torterra was already running to her for whatever physical move, the Amaura charged a massive orb of energy in front of her mouth.

Because it was such a light blue, Erika expected a massive ice beam.

Technically… it is a beam. An ice-type, boosted, same type attack bonus hyper beam. While same type attack bonus isn't commonly mentioned as it's mostly just called STAB, every trainer knows that a Pokémon's main element is stronger than an element of a different kind… hence why Meowth's Coin Bomb is so dangerous.

Seeing a repeat of his last gym battle on the gym leader instead made Ash feel a sense of irony.

As the hyper beam fired, it hit the Torterra straight on and sent it flying without any troubles. A two times super effective move. _There was no challenge._

Right now, Erika felt some form of fear. Her Torterra was taken out in a single hyper beam? A single move?

 _She spoke out of line. Now she'll reap what she has sown._

Gritting her teeth, she sent out her Venusaur to finish this battle. The Amaura must be tired, especially after that hyper beam. It is true that Glacia is tired though.

Ash, as much as he likes 'fair play' returns the Amaura. Challengers can do so anyway.

Seeing Erika's surprised face, as well as loss of _some_ hope in her eyes made it worth it in his slightly sadistic state of mind. She shouldn't have mentioned his bond with Glacia being non-existant.

Ash thought about who he should throw in… before throwing out a ball. It was time for him to practice against someone other than his teammates after all.

Out of it came _Trickster_. Transformed as a Moltres. Just to mess with Erika.

Erika blinked a few times before nearly fainting at seeing a _legendary_ pokémon.

Ash just blinked before going along with it. He did mention that he shouldn't do so but apparently the Gengar heard what happened outside of his cherish ball. "Psychic," he ordered as the Moltres's eyes began to glow a fierce blue. Venusaur was lifted into the air before being slammed down and what came next was a shadow ball.

Now, Erika is no professional, but Moltres can't learn those moves.. right?

"Venusaur! Frenzy Plant!" She ordered as roots began to sprout at high speeds, hitting the Moltres and out of it came a grinning, though pretty wounded Gengar.

A very vicious looking Gengar if you can see his glowing green eyes and slightly malicious grin.

"You know what to do, Trickster," Ash grinned slightly at his Gengar.

The Gengar's red markings began to glow and the dark red of his sclera became a maroon colour not unlike Ash's.

At first it was a small, round field around him. The power began to boil up as the Gengar roared out loud and the orb expanded and _expanded_ with pure power. Now that's a real Night Daze.

The Venusaur could only blink before it reached him and blasted him away.

It seems that Celadon City is pretty overrated. Oh, right… Most challengers don't get in because they insulted her _perfume_.

Oh? The Venusaur actually stood up again, roaring as petals began to flow around it and it launched a petal dance straight at the Gengar. Along with it were some hidden stun spores.

The Gengar ran on the floor and became a black blur to some but the barrage of petals were relentless. Eventually, the Gengar had to jump up and land onto the wall before pushing off of it towards the Venusaur that was now definitely angered by the Gengar dodging his moves.

Sadly, the field was now covered in stun spore and the Gengar inhaled some, making it struggle _a little_. He had been paralyzed by Pikachu's electric attacks, why would this stop him completely?

At least this was a better match than that Torterra. Erika definitely got kicked off of her high horse with that single attack finishing off such a strong Pokémon.

Admiring the sight of a proper opponent, the Gengar charged a shadow ball before firing it at the feet of the Venusaur to make a small explosion and cause dust to come into its eyes or at least block its sight. The black blur didn't stop, even while slowed down thanks to the stun spore as well as some petals hitting its body.

The Gengar can handle some damage. This was nothing compared to Gardevoir's magical leaf.

' _Time for a little surprise, hope you like it Ash!_ ' Trickster thought before his hands began to glow an icy blue, punching the Venusaur once close enough. The moment the glowing fist connected a small amount of ice appeared onto the Venusaur and sent it flying somewhat.

Petal Dance, however, was a move that continued no matter what. The Venusaur was already busy doing its best to control it lest he loses the move.

Seeing the chance, the Gengar used Psychic to throw the Venusaur straight into the air and started to charge multiple shadow balls in order to defend itself from petal dances.

Grinning maliciously, the Gengar had a certain thought… What would happen if a Venusaur had a nice, explosive landing?

A massive Shadow Ball appeared right under the Venusaur, where he will land. The Shadow Ball began to get bigger and bigger, awaiting something to touch it.

Who ever said that shadow balls should be in front of a mouth or hand? Even now, Gengar had some minor ones protecting him from some petals as he focused on the larger orb. He couldn't lose focus now or he'd be blasted away himself.

 _That's a lot of ghost energy though._

The Venusaur couldn't do anything but let gravity do its job. Falling down with its massive weight, it landed straight on the massive shadow ball much to Erika's horror and the Gengar's glee. An explosion occurred right away.

Now, Gengar did get some damage out of it but thanks to Venusaur's large body, none of his own ghostly energy hit him. _Good thing too because he might knock himself out by doing so._

Panting as the Gengar was somewhat tired, his green on maroon eyes were staring forwards to see the sight of a Venusaur completely knocked out.

Trickster let out a cheer, " _That's what I thought! Can't win against me, big guy! Hey Ash, liked the surprise?_ "

Ash laughed out loud at seeing the Gengar cheer so childishly. It must be because he finally got to have a real battle after his evolution - not counting Brock's, Caitlin's or the wild Suicune.

" _Can I get back into your shadow now? I need some aura to heal myself.. this stun spore is annoying,_ " the Gengar grunted as he walked to Ash.

Sighing, Ash let Trickster get into his shadow without any fear or reply. He trusted the Gengar to be careful as Trickster will heal himself with Ash's aura. Ironically, his shadow gained some red markings around his legs and arms because the Gengar willed it to.

Scare tactics for the heck of it. Ash thought of it as funny so he never really minded or commented about it. People did look at him weirdly for it but hey, why not? Makes him different from the others.

On the other hand it also lets him and Gengar bond together in peace.

Ash walked up to Erika, his maroon eyes looking slightly disappointed but otherwise fine. "Did I win the badge?"

Erika had a troubled look before sighing. If she didn't give it now, the gym would definitely get closed down.

She lost against the boy. Completely crushed. No mercy. While her Venusaur gave a decent battle, the other two were taken out without any troubles. She _really_ should not have talked about bonds. Thinking about it, maybe she was getting slightly arrogant. Time for a change.

Taking out a small flower-like badge with colors on each petal that make it look like a rainbow, she handed it over to him. Ash grinned slightly as he took it.

"Thanks for the battle, Erika. Perhaps in the future we'll do so again. Hopefully, you'll use your real team," Ash smiled as he walked towards the exit, not waiting for Erika's reply.

He just wanted to get going. After getting his new gym badge, he wanted the other as soon as possible!

To be honest, Erika, in his opinion, was slightly disappointing… She insulted the bonds between trainers and their Pokémon. A Gym Leader should know better. Hopefully, Koga will be better. _Ash didn't know he'll get an elite four candidate as an opponent._

* * *

Ash, Brock and Caitlin were about to leave Celadon City for the next one to get Ash's seventh badge. They had already let their Pokémon recover in the Pokémon Center.

 **KABOOOOOM!**

The three trainers jumped aside as a large piece of rubble nearly hit them.

"Isn't that… the gym?!" Ash shouted in shock as he and the rest instantly ran towards it.

Why wouldn't they? Their pokémon can protect them. There's also the fact Ash has some hero personality that _demands_ that he helps them out. The other two followed him as it's the right thing to do.

Normal children, they are not.

When they arrived they saw a lot of vans with large R's on it as well as a hurt Torterra and Venusaur being carried off. Most likely to be stolen from Erika.

The three trainers didn't need to see more. Brock and Ash had experience with them. Caitlin heard of them.

 _Team Rocket is attacking the gym and attempting to steal the Pokémon there._

"Get them, everyone!" Brock and Ash didn't hesitate in the slightest as they called out their entire team. Caitlin followed up eventually.

Brock's team, consisting of Golett, Steelix, Tyranitar, Golem, Vulpix and Roselia let out enraged cries. They all heard about the situation and instantly moved to damage all the cars. They will not let anyone escape.

Ash took care of all the trainers with Caitlin. His team being a Talonflame which took care of Team Rocket escaping into the air, a Pikachu that paralyzed all humans whenever he had the chance, Meowth who bombed all pokémon that came out, Greninja who took to the shadows and search for any hidden members, Amaura that stopped the fires with her abilities of using rock, ground and ice type moves and finally a Gengar that protected the trainers.

Caitlin called out a Metang that instantly went on the offense as it slammed a car away from its trainer, a Gallade and Gardevoir that simply stood still and searched the area as well as picking some minds for information and finally Espeon. She left some others at home seeing how she might capture other friends like Metang.

It seems that either the three were monsters or that the rocket members only had an escape plan with the vans after grabbing some of the gym's Pokémon because it was really pathetic.

Grimers, Zubats and Ekans were being thrown around like beach balls. After Brock's Pokémon finished destroying all vans - as well as weaponry of the team rocket members - they attacked all Pokémon that they called out.

It's still funny seeing a Vulpix use Iron Tail and slap six different Pokémon at the same time as if they're not worth her time.

Tyranitar took care of some of the stronger ones being an odd Muk or Golbat, but no Arbok it seems as the snakes were instantly down to prevent escaping through the underground.

The battle continued like this for a good half of an hour. At least 50 Team Rocket grunts were there as it seems to be a pretty big operation. Sadly, they met Ash Ketchum the still novice Chosen One who has some tough Pokémon… and his friends who are an extra that are definitely at his level in either power or skill, or in Caitlin's case, beyond it in both.

Pikachu seemed to be exhausted as he had to fire countless thunder waves to prevent them all from escaping or use thunderbolt to prevent himself from being hit by them. Meowth was in the same league using his new move that completely exhausted him, Talonflame seemed to be alright as he took care of all the Zubat in the air as well as taking out a single helicopter. _Looking back, seeing a massive Talonflame and still going towards it was a dumb action. A good flamethrower did the deed to melt some parts and cause it to crash right onto some other Team Rocket vans._ Greninja had taken out the Admin, later known as Joel, before he could react to the trainers attacking them and Amaura stopped all the flames and explosions. Gengar was the least tired because the trainers knew how to protect themselves from the odd punch or kick to catch them off guard and the few Pokémon that tried were down for the count.

Brock's team was pretty much in a near unconscious state due to using far too much energy. Nothing a good rest at the Pokémon Center won't fix. The one who was hurt the most was Tyranitar because in a small fit of rage he used headbutt on a van without enhancing it… Yeah, that hurt.

Caitlin's team were all fine. Metang was definitely living up to his fame of being part of a pseudo-legendary evolution line and took out a couple of grunts on his own. Poison attacks were useless on it and being psychic made it able to beat most enemies. Gardevoir and Gallade were relaying all the information they got to Caitlin who had a notepad and was writing things on it with a serious face and Espeon was just being Espeon, _lazy after a battle_.

Right now there were others with the three traveling trainers as while they treated their Pokémon's injuries, a few Officer Jenny were writing down what happened with Erika standing next to a hurt Venusaur, Torterra and Vileplume. There were a few league Ace trainers in case someone does something stupid and a few G-men along with Lance.

Attacking a gym in broad daylight _is_ a serious issue. Ash didn't have to call Lance.

 _However, Lance wasn't surprised to see Ash. He's always in trouble, somewhere or somehow._

* * *

"So they are under orders of Giovanni," Lance concluded as he and the three traveling trainers were now sitting in a private room of the Pokémon Police Station.

Caitlin nodded as she handed over a list of planned crimes as well as names. For now, only the future attacks will be mentioned.

 _Plan 1: Attack Celadon City's gym to weaken the defense_

 _Plan 2: If succeed, take over the game corner_

 _Plan 3: Attack Silph Co and steal the prototype Masterball_

 _Plan 4: Use Project M2 and take out the league_

There were no details of M2's project. Only the knowledge of when and how. What M2 is, Caitlin had no idea and there were no images.

Lance had a troubled face at that, but they can now increase the defense of all the mentioned locations. Nodding in agreement, he began to call some ACE Trainers, the best of the best in this case, to order them to get there.

The three children just remained in the room discussing the battle and the way they should improve.

Honestly, it was strange to see such a thing. _Children_ fought off _adults_ that intended to commit a heavy crime. They, with only around 20 Pokémon managed to defeat so many grunts of an evil organisation within Kanto that it just made it look pathetic.

The first thing they do is battle. Their age did not matter in this case, mentally they were all prepared and slightly hardened.

Who wouldn't be? Ash nearly died within only a few months of his journey only to be saved by a Kyogre - a Legendary that hadn't been seen for a while. Brock was the one who experienced the sinking S.S. Anne with Ash and also fought against Team Rocket there. Caitlin, being a former Frontier head had enough experience with such things and knew of the 'real world' so to say.

They matured mentally. _Normal_ adults don't compare to them right now.

Ash was a prodigy through and through. His aura makes him more than a simple human and he can use special ways of dealing with Pokémon.

Brock was a wise teenager. He knew a lot about medicine, was a good cook and finally studied to become a breeder as well. Taking care of Pokémon was easy for him so his team was strong enough. He mentally grew up after meeting Ash as well. There's also the fact he was the only one taking care of his family for so long.

Caitlin was a psychic. She is capable of doing much more than a normal human and thinks differently. Thanks to her psychic abilities, her mental activities are much faster and thanks to that she can learn extremely fast as well as mature faster. That, and a girl just matures faster than a boy when comparing her to the other two.

When Lance finished his call, he couldn't help but think how _kids_ are doing the league's job and how they manage to get into so much trouble.

The champion let out a sigh before he sat down in front of the group, "You know what? I'll give you three special privileges on your Xtransceiver or Pokénavs to call the league officials with high priority. With you guys always being involved in these kind of things, I seriously doubt that this'll be the last time," Lance rubbed his forehead.

Ash chuckled a little in amusement as he handed over his Xtransceiver so Lance could upload the software/OS update. He didn't really know as it's something only the league uses. Hopefully it won't delete his other numbers…

The two others followed up seeing that it'll be useful. They do need a backup Xtransceiver in case something happens to Ash after all. Not that it'll happen when they're around.

"Thanks, Lance," Ash said with a grin. It's great to have the ability to call someone other than Lance for these problems. The champion must be bothered enough already.

Lance shook his head in amusement before looking at Ash, "Did you receive the reward money? We do intend to send reward money to trainers that help out," Lance explained as he looked at the other two who were confused. Ash simply nodded with a 'Yes'.

Ash turned to them and blinked a few times, "You guys should have received some as well."

Brock and Caitlin blinked once, then twice and finally thrice before opening their Xtransceiver and opening their trainer account. Indeed, they had received some money for helping out with the Mankey and in Brock's case, Tentacruel as well.

 _That's quite a bit of money._

Lance chuckled slightly before looking at Caitlin, "So, the princess finally decided to go on a journey… Considering the family you come from, it's not much of a surprise. If you're with Ash, you're bound to get stronger," Lance spoke with softness as he got the stress of the workload behind him for now.

Caitlin blushed slightly at the compliment and the fact that Lance had such a trust in Ash as well as her getting stronger.

Lance then turned to Brock with a sharp eye, "You have some powerful Pokémon with you, young man. Some of them are considered powerhouses in their own right, but to see such a Golett.. I am impressed. When the Golett evolves, let's have a battle," Lance rarely had any battles these days. Trainers were always complaining that he was too strong.

Personal, casual… nobody even reached past Lorelei or even Bruno nowadays so he doesn't have any good battles. His Pokémon often get annoyed because of that too.

Well, his main Dragonite has been coming home lately completely bruised up for some reason. He did wonder why. It always returned with this childish excitement in his eyes as if having had the fight of his dreams.

Brock gave Lance a faint grin, "I might not be a gym leader anymore, but being with Ash surely helped me get stronger… my Onix and Geodude from before have all reached their final evolutions… I'll be ready. Actually," Brock had almost forgotten and he called out his Vulpix and Roselia.

Both Pokémon immediately knew why and stood in front of Brock as he was searching through his bag.

"I promised them to let them evolve after enduring a month of extreme training. They did very well," Brock said as Ash and Caitlin sat back to enjoy the sight of an evolution.

Lance, while it's usually done in emergencies and he never had the time to appreciate the sight of it, always liked to see Pokémon evolve as well. It's quite special to see two Pokémon evolve like that so he just leaned back in his chair with a small smile.

Yes, this group of trainers is interesting. They always give him something special to see or do.

Brock first found the Fire Stone, making the Vulpix jump up in excitement as he placed it down on the ground in front of the Fire type, who in turn walked up to it.

Staring at the flames inside of the stone, the Vulpix nodded as she decided to reach her final stage. She got far enough in her current state. She learnt as many moves as she can as a Vulpix. It was _time_.

Touching the stone with her paw, the Vulpix began to glow a bright light. The small figure slowly began to grow up, tails gradually extending before gaining another and another until it reached 9. The tails, as the figure was still white curled up and then the snout of the Vulpix extended somewhat. Tufts of fur extended as inside of the light the color changed completely. The white figure slowly began to sit down as the bright light finally disappeared to show a beautiful Ninetales.

Brock smiled as Roselia began to pet the now evolved Ninetales on her head with the flowers. It was obvious that Roselia was still the older one here as the Ninetales simply let her with a small yip.

In the back, the two trainers and the champion looked at the Ninetales with a sharp eye. A very beautiful Pokémon indeed, something many trainers wish to have.

"Ninetales are indeed very beautiful Pokémon. Perhaps you should train her for contests when you reach Hoenn, Brock," Lance spoke out with a smile. It might be a nice recording to review later.

Brock thought about it before turning to the Ninetales, "Would you like to do contests in the future?"

The Ninetales seemed to think about it before nodding in agreement with that idea.

Smiling, Brock pulled out the second evolution stone. A Light Stone.

"Well Roselia, you wished for evolution for a while now. Can't let Vulpix evolve alone, right?" Brock smiled at the Roselia that now had shiny, black eyes as she stared at the stone.

The Roselia took the chance the moment it reached her. Bending forward, the Roselia touched the stone with one of her flowers as she too began to glow and grow around three times in height. The previous spikiness on her head changed into a smooth hair design and a sort of cape seemed to come from her back. The flowers grew along with the Roserade's arms seeing how, despite only holding them for battle, they're apart of the Roselia/Roserade evolution line.

When the light disappeared, there stood a Roserade. Staring at the flowers she held in her hands, the Roserade nodded before moving them behind her back. For some reason, the flowers disappeared under her cloak as she now revealed two green hands and bowed to her trainer. She definitely had a rogue-ish look with some sort of mask around her eyes.

Ash had to think about this movie called 'Zorro'.

"Oh? You can make your flowers disappear now?" Brock asked curiously as the Roserade nodded with a smile.

" _They're now a part of my body. By moving my hands behind my cloak, I can 'absorb' them so to speak. In case of battle I can make them appear anytime,_ " the Roserade explained. Ash simply relayed what had been told to the humans.

The Ninetales looked amused really. Not many humans know, but Roselia usually _held onto_ the flowers. They practically keep it as a part of their body instead of using their hands. They also use their energy to keep the flowers alive, and when they finally evolve the flowers they've nurtured become a part of their body.

"Marvelous evolution," Lance complimented as he nodded with a grin. To be honest, he hadn't seen many Roserade yet. He didn't know that tidbit of information either so he could tell ACE trainers about it. No wonder research shows that flowers eventually change when held by Roselia. The better the nutrients and water, the better the energy that the flowers will absorb.

"Both are very nice," Caitlin commented with a smile. She admired those two beautiful Pokémon.

Ash simply smiled and called out his Amaura. Perhaps she'd like to do so now?

" _Oh? You've evolved,_ " the Amaura smiled at the Roserade and Ninetales.

Both Pokémon turned to the shiny Amaura and nodded with excited looks in their eyes. Seeing that, the Amaura figured what they thought of.

Perhaps it's time to grant them a small wish.

" _Ash, would you like me to evolve as well? Tonight will be a fine night. I suspect a full moon?_ "

Ash nodded at the Amaura before turning to Lance, "Lance, care to see an evolution nobody except the two other Aurorus trainers has seen before?"

Lance, seeing the chance had a glint in his eyes, "Of course, I'd be honored to. Don't forget to call the professor, I'll send my Dragonite to bring him… and your mother, I assume," Lance spoke with a grin.

Ash looked at him knowingly, "She's still not interested, Lance," Ash said calmly as he knew Lance liked his mother. Heck, she was very popular in Pallet Town.

The fact she has a very, very overprotective Mr. Mime helps out though. Any men that try to even touch her get a full force psychic or barrier blocking them.

Ash often had good laughs with his mother because of it.

"A shame.. Doesn't hurt to try," Lance shrugged.

Ash just smiled a little. He actually wouldn't mind Lance as a father.

* * *

Glacia began stretching her limbs somewhat as she was getting prepared to evolve. Her kind usually gains a lot of ice abilities and it's a lot of trouble to keep it contained as an Aurorus. How does she know? Well, traveling Aurorus often told her when they came to Mt. Everstone.

It took a grand total of 40 minutes before two Dragonite arrived at the scene. Ash, Caitlin, Brock and even Lance had all their Pokémon outside of their pokéballs to watch the show.

Delia immediately rushed to her son and gave him the hug of his life before ranting about all the dangerous things.

And the smile. Oh Arceus that smile.

Everyone just backed off a good ten steps when that smile came forth. _For some reason, a shadow was moving as if taking notes._

Professor Oak remained behind to study all the rare Pokémon. Yes, a royal Golett, a Steelix, a Tyranitar… not to mention _that Gengar_. He studied them all with his eyes before turning towards the Amaura that was closing her eyes and seemed to absorb some moonlight, preparing her energy.

"Amazing pokémon…" He mumbled as he walked towards the group that were sitting outside. They moved out a while ago with Amaura standing in the middle of a clearing, alone as if preparing a show.

Oak even brought a recorder for this. He wouldn't miss the chance, no sir.

Delia went to sit down between Ash and Caitlin. Oak took seat between Lance and Brock.

 ** _Lance_** _silently **pouted**. No luck again._

Glacia finally opened her eyes, having absorbed enough moonlight, " _Ready, Ash?_ " Glacia asked as she turned her head to him.

Ash simply smiled at the fossil Pokémon, "Ready when you are Glacia. Just know that I will like you no matter if you're an Amaura or an Aurorus. Just before you have any second thoughts," he winked.

Glacia smiled at her trainer's thoughtfulness before shaking her head. She definitely wanted this.

Looking up into the sky, it started out with a soft cry.

Snow began to silently fall around her figure, created within a certain distance of the Amaura. It was definitely controlled in order to prevent any mass snowstorms around the area. Heck, the ones watching her could still feel the cold but they were too amazed to speak.

The small cry eventually become a type of song. Ancient, unknown to anyone. A song that only those of the past could know of.

 _In the nearby future, Ash would comment how Lugia's song was similar yet different. Whereas Lugia's was meant for soothing and healing, this one was filled with passion. Passion to reach evolution, passion to finally reach the next stage. All to please her dear trainer._

Not even Ash could understand the lyrics, none of the Pokémon could. They could only stare at the beauty as the moon finally shone on the Amaura's shiny figure.

It gradually began to glow, slowly expanding as the snow became fiercer and began to spin around like a small storm around the figure.

The figure, despite the snow, was completely visible. Nobody dared to take a single breath at seeing this evolution. Yes, many evolutions are special but this one seemed to be the practice of the ancient Pokémon.

The Amaura's body began to glow and expand many times its previous size. The usual stubby tail began to grow and extended properly. Her long neck became even larger as the small sails began to get bigger and bigger to cover the entire length of the neck. The previous single gem became multiple and went from her neck towards the tip of the tail that now curled inwards. The hindlegs gained three clawed toes but the forelegs only had one large nail and a single claw.

The area around the Aurorus became colder and colder as the snowstorm expanded but then moved into the air. Like a mirror, the snow began to rise instead of fall and disappear into the sky as it melted by gradually leaving the cold area.

The previous passionate song became deeper, more mature as the light slowly began to disappear.

What stood there made the humans simply stare in awe. A beautiful, white Aurorus stood there. The sky blue gems and stomach matched perfectly with its eyes. The sails were a beautiful white and light blue to speak of its happiness as the now Aurorus lowered her head to look at the humans and Pokémon.

Its eyes focused on Ash as he stood up, walking over to Aurorus and extending his hand.

Seeing her trainer do that, Glacia closed her eyes and lowered her head further. The V-shape on her head now in full sight with the gem in the middle making it look like a tiara. Ash's hand reached the side of her head as he began to stroke it while watching in amazement, looking at his reflection on the gem on the Aurorus's forehead.

Yes, this definitely was an ancient Pokémon. One who existed in the past before many others were born. This grace, this beauty was something only few could match.

"You're beautiful, Glacia," Ash complimented with a smile. Heck, Pikachu began to cheer excitedly as the other Pokémon let out roars of approval. None of them had seen such an evolution yet, and it was definitely special.

Like that, Glacia's gems began to glow and light shot up into the skies. A beautiful mixture of green, purple and other colors began to intertwine as an aurora was seen all over Kanto.

Everyone simply stared up at the sight, taking it in without saying a single word. It was beautiful, as simple as that. Ash grinned as he and Glacia were now watching it together before the Aurorus roared out in the sky, brightening the controllers as if controlling it.

All beings stood in silence now, simply watching. Professor Oak was silently videotaping everything and took in the sights himself.

He was old, he was wise but he could still be amazed beyond words by the acts of a Pokémon. By Arceus, was this one of the most beautiful sights in his life. _Even more than the Suicune with Ash in the future._

What they didn't know is that they attracted the attention of various legendaries by this evolution alone. Multiple screeches were heard from resting spots as they all admired the sight, a sight that the older ones hadn't seen in countless years. Roars of the hounds were approving and even a roar within the skies could be heard in some parts of Kanto as the legendary Pokémon traveled through it to see the sight.

It was like a message. A message to tell everyone that an Aurorus has appeared, an Aurorus with a _lot_ of power to make it happen throughout the entirety of Kanto.

However, the ones around the Aurorus remained silent. It was only after viewing it for a good 20 minutes that it finally ended, making everyone turn back to the sight of Glacia. Truly, it viewed the beauty of the ancient. The gems seemed to glinster as the air was colder around the ice/rock type, the newly evolved Pokémon already controlling its powers.

Lance smiled in excitement. Good thing he promised a battle with Ash after he reaches Kanto.

Oak couldn't help but praise it, "Beautiful. I simply have no words. I feel that even the recording can't show the beauty of what occurred today. Ash, Glacia, congratulations upon the evolution."

Glacia's sky blue eyes looked at Oak before nodding slightly. The Pokémon walked up to the other trainers before opening her mouth and creating small ornaments.

 _Nevermeltice_. Lance, Oak and Delia received three pieces of such ice as the aura around it was much different compared to normal ice. Lance received the figurine of a Dragonite and its trainer as the Aurorus had seen the Dragon Master with his Pokémon, Oak received a Pokéball on a stand and Delia received figurines of Ash and his Pokémon. Naturally, small so they can be carried and placed somewhere.

" _A gift, for them. Brock and Caitlin will be with us for a while but once they go home for a while I shall present them with the same_ ," the Aurorus spoke to Ash who was looking confused at that moment before he gained some light of understanding. Nodding, he translated it to them.

The three who received the presents didn't complain as they all showed happy smiles. Lance was the first to speak, "Three evolutions in one day and Team Rocket was caught. If there was anything else occurring, I'd say Arceus was messing with us," Lance joked slightly.

Oak just laughed as Delia showed a small smile, "Take care of my little boy, okay Glacia?" Delia asked the fossil Pokémon. It seemed the rest of his team also popped up to stand next to the Aurorus with their blossoming power clearly being displayed to their trainer's mother.

All six of them stared determined at the mother, "We will," Meowth began as he showed a fanged grin, "Ash can't help but get in trouble. Ya'd have no idea what he'd do without us."

Pikachu simply nodded as the rest of them said the same.

The message was clear, they will.

Brock's, Caitlin's and Lance's pokémon all came around them to see the new Aurorus and for Lance's, to see possible new opponents. They all admitted it was a good team, heck, Gyarados wasn't joking about the boy being a good trainer.

"Ah that's right," Ash blinked a few times as he looked around and finally spotted his Houndoom. Smiling somewhat, he called out to them. The Houndoom simply remained silent so far as to not attract attention but it was time to let them go with their chosen jobs. They've trained well this month as well.

"Mom, Professor Oak. These two girls are Houndoom I've recently captured to help you two out. Mom, I know that sometimes the restaurant can get rowdy. Mimey can't protect it on his own forever… so I want you to take care of Lily, the younger Houndoom." When her name was mentioned, the younger Houndoom now named Lily walked up to Delia and sat down in front of her. Ash, seeing that, knew that the Houndoom decided to follow the woman and threw her Luxury Ball towards the Houndoom that the hound captured in its jaws to present the woman.

Oak seemed surprised, but smiled nonetheless. It's always something with his students, his prótéges. They were all special.

"You will come with me to help me out?" The Professor asked the Houndoom himself. Despite his age, his excited smile was the same. It's always great to find new friends and family members. He might be old, he might be a former champion but a person is never too old to fall in love with new Pokémon.

The Houndoom studied the professor. Despite seeming to be harmless, the elder held an aura of confidence and that made the Houndoom like him. Confidence, not afraid of anything. That's something the Houndoom also respected in Ash.

"That's Eva, she's the older one of the two. I've told her about some jobs in the ranch. I've trained her and Lily for a while now so they should be ready for it all," Ash explained as the old man grinned slightly. Typical.

Ash also threw Eva's pokéball at her, making the hound capture it between her jaws and present it to the elder. Both the elder and Delia received the luxury balls with a smile.

"I'll take care of you, Lily." "Don't worry Eva, there's always excitement in the ranch."

The rest of the night was spend together, simply talking about the adventures and some fun. Lance even decided to join them for this night as it seems his work didn't bother him.

All of them had a pleasant evening. Trainers chatting with each other, a mother worrying somewhat, the teacher laughing in pride and the champion snickering at remembering his own journey. The Pokémon themselves were just talking about their own growth and adventures with the champion's pokémon obviously telling the more exciting ones.

Though Pikachu was smug at mentioning that he wounded a Suicune in battle, rode on Kyogre and saw Ho-oh.

Though the dragons of Lance's team did meet a legendary once, which was a Raikou, they did not battle it nor did they speak to it. They simply flew past it.

Similar conversations went on until they had to go back home with Ash giving a hug to his mother and teacher. Like that, they rested again, ready to move onto the next challenge.

 _It's time to earn the seventh badge._

* * *

 **Now, this chapter is mostly based on Celadon with some training and more evolutions.**

 **Why is Glacia's evolution special? Well, you need to spotlight the ancient fossil Pokémon. Like a Hydreigon that can go on a rampage after evolution, the Amaura has a special evolution effect. I wanted it to like this as to show that the Pokémon of old have a special thing. The fact they're only restored as a fossil and are considered 'nothing special' bugs me.**

 **A Tyrantrum for one should be an apex predator that most Pokémon will instinctively fear or bow to after its evolution. There's also the fact I dislike that they simply don't shine enough.**

 **Now, they're all special. 'cause I make them so. Any complaints about this? I do need a 'source' for Lugia's song. In the end, it'll have a history as well as reason why it has a healing effect on Lugia. Hinthint: Meloetta.**

 **So. Roserade, Ninetales and Aurorus. Three evolutions in one chapter. While I would've liked to place the Aurorus' evolution until after Koga, I felt like it was time. I kept delaying it but right now the little Amaura deserves a boost after a good month of training.**

 **Any questions about the training? I did try my best with the ideas of using 'invented moves'. Honestly, they're just little changes or unique ideas to use an element. Meowth's especially is what made me interested. He'll be in the next gym battle.**

 **Also, STAB… Yes, it exists. It's kind-of obvious why as same type moves will simply be stronger than others. The energy comes naturally to them and so does the use of power and control.**

 **So this is it for this week's chapter. I have had no time this week, completely exhausted to even write more. I need a small break, but next week there will be another chapter. Now to Brock's romance!**

 **Daisy Oak – 1 vote!**

 **Clair Blackthorn – 1 vote!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the read, feel free to review! I'd love to hear any positive or negative opinions on what I've done. Make a single pokémon outshine too much? Make Pikachu less special? Not give enough attention to legendaries? Consider some battles as too easy? Just a heads up! Next chapter will be different and focus a little more on the game version of the Cycling Road, together with the anime parts!**


	11. Road of Wheels

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the wait, I had far too much work to be done. So now, I wrote this for you all! In a single day, mind you. I'm tired since I started at 4 P.M. and it's 2 A.M. now. Ha! Motivation beats all!**

 **Now, I've had a couple of interesting reviews and even a PM who guessed one of the Orange Island Pokémon with a suggestion. Kudos, kudos. Some things need to be said first though.**

 **Fossil pokémon for Brock:  
Kabuto - 1 vote - a Pokémon that can be considered the base choice for many in Kanto. I never limited myself to Kanto, but still. A Kabuto to branch out to water type as Brock originally uses rock types as a specialty. Good choice, no dislikes from me at all.  
Omanyte - 1 vote - a Pokémon more unique. A defensive pokémon, which right now, would be similar to Golem. Brock's team consists of powerhouses in power. Y'know this might be a good change.  
Tyrunt - 2 votes - a Pokémon that mixes well with Ash's Aurorus. Yes, a good choice and a possible option as somehow I keep giving Brock powerhouses. The only reason it mixes well with Aurorus though, is because it is registered in Kalos. I don't see the particular need, but I can understand your reasons.  
Tirtouga - 2 votes - Some of my fellow voters, I love you guys. Finally some appreciation for Tirtouga. A choice similar to Omastar, but a little more universal capable. ( Walking on the ground is faster than crawling )  
Anorith - 1 vote - Y u no chosen more, poor Anorith. Still, a very unique choice and deserves some spotlight. So far, Tyrunt and Tirtouga are at the top. Feel free to vote guys.**

 **Love interests:**  
 **Clair is getting a lot of attention. Daisy Oak also got some votes, but one shone out to me. Roxanne, a teacher and gym leader. Well now, why did nobody ever suggest that as a love interest? Nevertheless, it is interesting. Clair, however, might be the first real 'couple' with Brock. Daisy might be the one when they return with Scott to travel around Kanto for a while again. Roxanne? Roxanne must stay in Hoenn for her duties as a leader and her job as a teacher. Still, Brock _can_ stay there.**

 **Well, that's my topics around Brock. This chapter will finally contain Ash receiving _some_ emotional problems. After all, he had seen some things people twice his age wouldn't and has a destiny that goes even further. Any 12 year old would crack, and Ash happened to crack after the need for _survival_. You'll see that this chapter.**

 **So… This chapter involves around Cycling Road. I intended to make a different approach for this. An approach not many take. Why not, I wonder. In this story, it's not just Ash that is smart. Gary has the knowledge and can stop the Diglett issue on his own. Leaf also travels.**

 **Aaanyway! Enjoy this chapter! Hope you guys don't see too many mistakes in my single day of blood, sweat and tears.**

* * *

After their activities in Celadon City, Ash and his friends went towards the newly revamped cycling road.

They made sure that it was connected to the land, making it a famous area where Pokémon are often seen racing against humans for the heck of it, or where they train their Pokémon to be mounted.

To be honest, it's a very amazing place. There are a lot of trainers and wild Pokémon that rest around the area. The very odd Murkrow to the occasional Fearow. From a Ponyta to a Doduo on land. Heck, there's even the odd Golduck that swims along those who cycle.

To use the cycling road, each trainer had to pay a fee of 1,000 Poké. That's not much for a shortcut to the Fuschia City gym, however, others often take the other roads because they do not wish to pay.

There's also a rumor that there are various special Pokémon when you walk towards Fuschia instead of the Cycling Road, but nobody was interested. Nobody in Ash's group at least.

"The cycling road sure sounds useful. We can have a fast trip to Fuschia and train there!" Ash exclaimed with a grin.

Brock simply shook his head, "Yes. It's also pretty dangerous from what the breeder forums tell me. There's rumors of a Golbat and Crobat swarm coming towards the area as well."

"Crobat huh? Those are pretty fast and some can become pretty big if you train them well," Caitlin commented offhandedly.

Ash shook his head, "Not interested, really. Yes, they are amazing but I feel like this might be a good opportunity to train," thinking about training with a swarm, it really sounded interesting.

A normal swarm is around the size of 300 Pokémon. A larger one can reach the thousand.

Fighting an odd 100 Golbat/Crobat may be the experience his team needs. The danger, the adrenaline, forcing one's body to surpass their limit and increase their stamina even further.

There's also the fact that it's extremely useful to train in fighting multiple opponents. The need to dodge has to be ingrained, using an enemy as a shield can be another thing… the list can go on.

Ash often tells his team this. His Greninja and Pikachu often follow that idea. Pikachu slipping between targets and making them hit their own, Greninja simply using his long tongue to pick up an enemy with Lick and use them as a shield while in combat. Sometimes even as a hammer!

When the group spotted that during their last battle against Team Rocket, they couldn't help but laugh despite the dangerous situation.

Seeing a Greninja use a Koffing as a hammer with his tongue on multiple Pokémon before it exploded - and did nothing to Greninja due to being a ghost type with Protean - was extremely amusing.

Whoever said that weaker moves aren't useful? Lick in itself can be similar to wrap if done right. Just that there's no real constriction. Only ghostly damage reaching the opponent.

"Oh, we're here," Caitlin mentioned while Ash was still remembering the amusing scene. Brock simply walked along, Ash following.

"We do need to rent bicycles. Do we want to rent two and let Caitlin sit on the back?" Brock asked his friend, who shook his head.

Caitlin huffed. "I need some stamina too, Brock. Don't forget that my team can still crush yours," she warned. "That makes me more of a target," she added later on.

Brock nodded with an apologetic smile, "Sorry Caitlin, old habits die hard."

"I don't mind, let's go."

* * *

"Man… That was expensive," Ash mumbled. Three bicycles were 30,000 Poké for God's sake! Nobody told them about the outrageous prices… No wonder.

Brock just chuckled, "Good thing we got money."

Caitlin agreed with a giggle. She had more than enough on her own but that was maybe half of what they got from helping out with the Team Rocket problem in Celadon.

Taking a seat on his red bicycle, Ash simply let out a sigh as he rested his muscles for a bit.

"Will we go fast, or take our time and cruise? If we cruise, it might be best to let some Pokémon run along," Ash turned to his friends, questioning what they want to do.

Caitlin thought about it before nodding. She called out her Espeon, Brock followed up with Ninetales and Ash called out his Meowth. Three Pokémon that can be pretty common in Kanto.

Well, Espeon are considered 'rare' in Kanto for some reason.

Idiots keep evolving the poor Eevee without any questions. The amount of hate Ash had against those trainers was astounding. Actual _hate_. Nobody thinks about the Eevee itself, only its evolutions.

If he ever got an Eevee, he'd _ask_ what it wants to be. He'd gladly train it as an Eevee.

He wouldn't even mind the girly Sylveon. Heck, Sylveon are pretty amazing and strong.

Shaking his head quickly, Ash turned to Meowth.

"We're going through the cycling road. Stamina training for you, Meowth," Ash smirked at the Meowth who gave him a grin.

"Sure Ash! Sounds good ta me, always sum trainin'. It's a lot more fun than running circles at least," Meowth pouted at the comparison before he started stretching. Without any words, Espeon and Ninetales followed as they heard the conversation.

Caitlin and Brock got on their blue and black bicycles at the same time, starting to ride down the path. The Pokémon soon followed up and Ash rushed to keep up since Meowth took his sweet time stretching his arms.

Meowth often practiced his running on two legs and sometimes on four. Four being much faster, but two being more flexible as he can use his claws.

"I just hope nothing happens. Crobat are pretty annoying and it'll take at least two whole days at cruising speed," Caitlin mumbled.

Brock paled somewhat… "You jinxed it," He accused the Psychic-type specialist.

Caitlin blinked a few times before gaining a pretty blush, simply going on despite being embarrassed. She never knew how right Brock was until the end of the cycling road.

* * *

The three trainers were sitting near a campfire at a resting spot in the forest. To be honest, it was a good thing that they found this open area as it made the possibility of a forest fire so much less.

Every Pokémon was currently outside of their respective Pokéball, each eating their own meal. Naturally, some evolved Pokémon got more than they did before because they needed more.

Brock was currently making some stew for the group as well as some toast with the help of a portable toaster and a portable electric charger.

It did need to be charged up and made Pikachu wait for his meal for _5 entire minutes_. Let it be known that Brock received a slap in the face with the use of a slightly charged iron tail for making him stare at his precious food and a little ketchup.

 _Especially the ketchup!_

The night was pretty calm. The sky was filled with countless stars, showing the beauty of Kanto which still remains less tainted compared to some other regions.

A nice breeze, a nice meal, a nice rest and above all; good company.

This is why traveling is so nice.

"What are you going to do for your next gym, Ash?" Brock asked in between some bites of his toast.

Ash had thought of it. Koga is a poison-type trainer, a type that is very tricky to battle. Thinking of battle styles it will definitely include status moves. Toxic, Powder moves, Spore… There's a good chance smokescreen and such will be used, and because of Koga's nature as a ninja, a surprise.

"For one, I'll go with stamina. Everyone needs more stamina. I've seen them battle against those grunts and despite the huge amount of Pokémon, it only took a single move to knock out a few. They couldn't keep up even with that," Ash started as he thought of it… "Stamina also helps them endure status problems. Problems such as burns or perhaps poison."

Caitlin smiled approvingly, "Good thinking. I've also noticed it. What are you going to do for stamina training?"

Ash gave a small shrug. "There's a swarm here, right? Those travel together… Why not challenge a bunch of them for training?"

Brock seemed to gain a smirk. "Interesting… Using natural resources, something not many think of. Swarms are usually sought after for captures, not training," rubbing his chin, he gave Ash a nod. "Good idea, Ash. I'll do the same as despite my team consisting of a lot of powerhouses, they need to train more as well. Natural abilities only go so far."

Caitlin gave a small smile. "Metang and Espeon need some good training as well. I'm kind-of hoping that Metang will evolve soon."

Like that, they discussed their plans for the swarm and training.

 _For some reason, the Pokémon around them felt shivers down their spines._

* * *

It was a refreshing morning. Ash woke up first and woke up Brock, who soon began stretching with him for a small spar. Yes, a spar.

Both trainers felt the need to train in combat even more after the event in Celadon. Perhaps because they've learnt the world isn't always as kind, despite sometimes revealing it is.

Besides, if they get strong enough, it'd be funny to knock out a Machop or something. Some slight muscle doesn't seem bad either and for traveling, it's best to keep in shape.

Caitlin seemed to wake up a little later but stretched and began to do some yoga, trying to make sure her body remained as flexible.

It was an hour later that all their pokémon woke up. The trainers didn't force them awake as they'll need their rest for the day and they returned them all except Pikachu, Meowth, Ninetales and Espeon.

"Ready to leave?" Ash asked with a small energy bar in his mouth. Best eat a light breakfast since they'll be moving quite a lot.

Brock nodded with the same bar in his mouth and Caitlin finished tying up her hair with a ribbon, wearing some sport clothing. The other two simply had their traveling gear.

 _Why waste money when you have clothes that can be worn under any circumstances?_

"Yes, let us depart. It's best to do so early," Caitlin got onto her bicycle right away, the other two following. That's when they instantly began to race off with their Pokémon running at their sides.

 _"CROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

The group had to blink a few times at the cry. _Cro?_ Crobat? While yes, they were expecting a swarm, why in the name of Arceus are they calling out in the morning? They're supposed to be asleep by now… unless some idiot disturbed them.

That's when they spotted a cloud.

 _A. Damn. Cloud. Of. Golbat. And. Crobat._

That is _not_ a small swarm. That is _not_ like the Houndoom situation. Those are counted as _at least_ two thousand. Worst of all… They were _aggressive_.

They did the only smart thing they could: Protect themselves. They instantly got off of their bicycles on the road, dropping them in order to gain some mobility in case they have to jump into the water or run into the forest - both providing some cover.

Right now though, they need to take out as many as they can. For one, to prevent the mass amount to harm other trainers… and the other reason being safety. If there's two thousand of those Golbat and Crobat, if not more, then they can't sleep safely.

To make sure that the amount is less than before since natural healing will take a while, they called out all of their Pokémon. Without even needing an explanation, they all began to use moves to increase their power.

What they need now is raw firepower in order to hit as many as they can, as fast as they can.

Caitlin's Gardevoir would be feared after today because she was using Calm Mind _a lot_. If only used for damaging moves now.

Pikachu was using Nasty Plot and Charge. Nasty Plot in order to increase the power of his electric attacks, Charge in order to gather as much as he can in his body so he can last longer. Talonflame remained still, keeping a keen eye. He didn't need to increase his stats for now. Meowth was using something that he recently picked up: Hone Claws and Nasty Plot for his thunderbolt attacks, Greninja was stretching and preparing to use Power-Up Punch in order to strengthen his combat moves, Aurorus was using Calm Mind and Gengar was using Psych Up in order to get the same increases as Meowth.

Psych Up is pretty damn useful in a case such as this.

Brock's Pokémon were clearly simply preparing themselves. Tyranitar simply stood still and valiant, ready for combat. Golett was standing there with his arms folded as if daring the Crobat to come closer, Golem was using Defense Curl and Iron Defense in order to tank hits, Steelix using Iron Defense to copy the action, Roserade was using Growth and Ninetales wasn't capable of any strengthening moves.

Caitlin's team… Well, they're just monsters. No need to actually boost themselves, but they'll be the escape route. Her younger Pokémon, Espeon and Metang, were preparing themselves though. Espeon using Calm Mind and Metang used Iron Defense.

That's when the swarm came closer and the battle began.

Now, normally the trainers their teams are pretty damn strong. With stat increases such as right now, they're even above that. Still, they were going up against a massive amount of Golbat and Crobat.

A normal trainer would've ran away like, screaming like a girl.

These young trainers were the ones thinking differently from the norm.

"ATTACK!" Ash shouted off as the Pokémon were still flying in the distance. Just like that, a massive amount of attacks flew towards the Golbat and Crobat.

It didn't even take a minute before at least a hundred were down for the count. Every single move was very effective. Greninja was using Water Shuriken to attack from a distance as well so he wasn't left behind.

"Hermit! Focus on defending us for now! Glacia, widespread blizzard!" Ash commanded his team as they all roared.

Brock's team… Well…

A Tyranitar fired a hyper beam, blasting at least 5 Crobat down. A Golett used his massive fists thanks to his Royal Species buff to hit everyone away from a distance. Golem fired out tons of Rock Blasts hitting all the Crobat, Steelix made sure nobody came close to the group and defended them, Roserade was firing off a solarbeam and Ninetales kept using either Flamethrower or Extrasensory.

Caitlin's young Pokémon kept attacking the odd yet strong Crobat, going for experience against battling them. Her older Gardevoir and Gallade were simply on standby with Gardevoir using the occasional psychic to blast away a few Crobat and Golbat.

This went on and on until at least 500 of the now approximately 3000 bat Pokémon were down.

It was just far, _far_ too much to ask to defeat more.

Every pokémon was exhausted. They needed rest and began to receive damage from the odd Air Cutter or Poison Type attack. Heck, some were already poisoned thanks to some lucky hits.

They still fought. They didn't give up. This was double for Ash's team that didn't have such amazing natural power.

"Meow… Too tired," Meowth was the first to fall down, panting. Seeing that one of his Pokémon were down Ash quickly returned Meowth and turned to the other trainers. "We need to get away!"

"Got'cha Ash!" Brock shouted back through a particular roar of his Tyranitar, who fired a hyper beam with all the energy he had left.

"Alright. Gardevoir, can you teleport us into that forest?" Caitlin asked her Psychic/Fairy Pokémon, who gave a nod in return. Using her psychic abilities, Gardevoir confirmed safe locations and used teleport only after Tyranitar was returned - for dark types are a pain - and the group disappeared.

That was also the moment at least fifty Pokémon slammed down from the sky, all attempting to take out the group.

 _They only ended up hitting each other._

* * *

"That… was close," Ash grunted as they were sitting in the forest. He was too tired after all of this. Brock was less so and started to heal all their Pokémon with medicine instead of Ash's aura.

Caitlin gave Ash a small smile. "At least your team got some good experience out of this. Heck, they fought until their last drop of stamina."

"Well… That's true. Can't get more proud of 'em," Ash grinned slightly as he looked at his Pokémon and called out Meowth, with Brock immediately starting to treat the poison.

Good thing they stock up extremely large.

The problem now is that they're stuck. Bicycles were left behind - and damaged beyond repair - so they had to walk all the way to Fuschia through the Cycling Road.

Now, normally that isn't a problem.. but there's countless Golbat and Crobat resting here.

They won't leave for _at least_ a month.

"Seems like we need to train up some and then go through the horde of bats," Caitlin commented with a sigh.

Brock had a small smirk. "Nothing new, right Ash?"

"I won't let some stupid bats stop my journey…" Ash grumbled as a blue glow appeared around him. It definitely focused on his _desire_ to get _stronger_.

As if on command, his team began to glow as well. The previous poison was gone, so right now his aura healed them all. As if on cue, he returned all of them. "Let my team go first. Pikachu can recharge the healing machine after he's completely healed," Ash started.

He wouldn't let something like this stop him. Brock happily obliged.

* * *

Like predicted, they hadn't even left the forest for an entire month. What were they doing this entire time, how did they survive this entire time… How were they not growing worried, as young children?

Perhaps it's because of Ash. His charismatic smile, his words that could actually touch hearts at the moment of need. He promised they'd get out, but they needed to train.

Thousands of enemies around them, practically making it impossible for any to escape. The reason why the bat pokémon are so aggressive is unknown and even when Ash tried talking to one Crobat, the Pokémon was far too enraged to speak.

A month passed. A month they survived. A month they trained. A month they _thrived_.

In the need to survive the young trainers were running around the entire forest, using everything they can. Wild berries, special tree bark, sap of a tree, fruits that can be found, wild mushrooms and heck, they even caught a few Magikarp.

It did hurt them to do this, but they needed to survive. They always prayed for forgiveness as well as show respect to make it end quick. Heck, the Pokémon around them gave prayers as well.

This was the wild. A wild that not many go through, but it proved to be something every trainer needed.

This month, the Pokémon and their trainers did not rest in the slightest. A month they trained. The food the Pokémon received was of the highest quality and the training they received could make even Giratina cringe.

The training doubled - if not tripled - in harshness. It was borderline torture, but the Pokémon survived through it and thrived from it. Their training wasn't like before in safe environments, no, they had enough encounters.

Every day or every alternating day, a small swarm of Pokémon attacked them. All of them were enraged from being chased out of their homes by the aggressive swarm of bats. It wasn't just them, but the bats themselves also appeared.

A month filled with battles where there was barely any rest, a month where even the three trainers had to fight off a Pokémon on their own in a rush. While yes, Pokémon are _far_ stronger than humans, a human knows the weaker locations of a Pokémon much easier through studies. It also helped that Ash began to learn _something_ special. Something that no ordinary aura adept can do.

He forced his own aura out of his body, _compressed it_ and made it take a _shape_.

It was rough, uncontrolled but full of power. It was like a single tail, something that could slam even Golem away when Ash asked the Pokémon to test how he could use it.

Naturally, Ash's body was also sent flying because he couldn't reinforce his own body with aura thanks to the need to control it. He spent a nice day recovering from being slammed into a tree with his own stupid idea.

Hey, can't expect a child to do everything right.

Thanks to that, however, they managed to live another day when a group of Crobat surprised them by attacking through the guards. Even Gallade and Gardevoir were busy at that moment and Brock reacted by grabbing the head of a Crobat and guiding it _down_. Caitlin used her own psychic abilities in a panic and practically _blew_ another Crobat away and Ash? Ash simply used the tail as he jumped up and slammed downwards, taking out three grown Crobats.

Humans aren't hopeless. Brock used smarts, where a Crobat can be guided in their charge to slam into the ground. Caitlin had her psychic abilities despite the risk of it going on a rampage and used it to protect herself whereas Ash was simply an aura factory with some minor control and an overcharged limb made of aura. Painful enough.

After that, they were far more paranoid of their surroundings though. Now, not even the trainers were idle.

But that happened all in a month. A month filled with survival, training and hard battles.

But what made it even better? The fact that they gradually downed at least three quarters of the entire swarm. Golbats were down for the count and now only Crobats were there. Some even recently evolved.

The Pokémon were tougher as well. Heck, Brock's Tyranitar gained a small scar on his cheek for underestimating a pretty tough Dodrio. He learnt that despite having natural power, a Pokémon can be fearsome no matter what.

Oh but that's not all. The most best thing is that Caitlin's Metang was already close to evolution. Perhaps it was because of their battles here? Golbat, Crobat and the wild Pokémon that live in the forest instantly adapted to his steel type and used other moves. This forced the Metang to toughen up quite a bit.

New moves were learnt, new ways to use them were made and new ways to get around were made. Even Pikachu made progress and learnt _aqua tail_. An accident, but a happy one nonetheless when it happened, made him use the move.

Glacia, the Aurorus, was pretty much Ash's powerhouse. Not even Trickster, the former Zoroark, could beat Glacia in raw power. Not even Falcon, his _royal_ Talonflame could beat the Pokémon easily. It can be done - which the Talonflame showed - but it had a very hard time doing so. The ability to create walls of ice on a whim, control ice and snow itself like it's nothing and also make areas that much harder to go through by making a mini blizzard?

That's just one mean predator. They call Aurorus herbivores, Ash was tempted to call them omnivores by now. Not even a carnivore matches that power. Ash was pretty sure an Aerodactyl was down for the count the moment it meets his shiny Aurorus.

Did he mention that his Talonflame was getting gradually bigger? It might even become twice as large as Lugia in the future. Still, the growth was quite slow. Right now he was only larger than the Kyogre's normal form, but not yet a Lugia in size.

Man, he couldn't wait to take his entire family on a nice flight trip with Talonflame. Both Pokémon and trainer looked forward to it, enjoying the pleasant sky in peace. It was something that made the Talonflame train even harder. After all, to go after a dream makes one train even harder.

The others are definitely worth mentioning too. Meowth became nimble and learnt how to use the surroundings perfectly. Heck, Ash was thinking that Meowth took tips from Hermit to master Feint Attack because the Cat Pokémon was almost ninja-like. He definitely earned Ash's respect for that since Meowth only became his Pokémon after he started for a while. It hadn't even been half a year yet. Meowth also gained some new moves and tried to master them. His Coin Bomb move also increased a little in numbers, now capable of throwing 10 at once.

Hermit, the Greninja was a close combat master by now. Almost as if made for it, the Greninja with Protean became a fighting type that would make even a Machamp jealous. The fluent movement, the elegance of it and the _fierceness_ are something that not anyone can learn by simply going through movements of scrolls and such. Ash was pretty sure the Ninja Pokémon learnt all of the close combat moves by now. Karate Chop, Mega Punch, Mega Kick, Ice Punch, Low Kick, Jump Kick, Bounce Kick which is an improvised Hi Jump Kick with an extra 'oomph', Lick, Wrap, Circle Throw, Rolling Kick, Power-Up Punch… Ash wasn't even sure what all of his moves were nowadays since the Greninja was using them so fluently he could barely recognize them. He was pretty sure that Oak would have a field day when learning that a Greninja can learn those moves when trained enough. Well, any Pokémon can learn close combat moves like that, it is just the 'fighting aura' that lacked for most. A Protean Greninja has no problems with that.

That growth rate is plain scary. Still, the Greninja also needs to improve mid-range attacks which Ash will focus on later. Right now, being an extreme close range fighter only helped because of the forest area. In a proper battle, such as going against Blaine he'll need all he can to beat the Fire Type master and his Greninja will be needed.

Trickster, the Gengar. Ash was pretty tempted to simply call that race 'the Illusionist' by now as the Gengar took to using illusions with his ghostly abilities but also his natural ability that he gained from absorbing Ash's aura with the evolution. Now, at times, it was hard to tell what is an illusion and what is not because with the natural ability of a Zoroark, it simply looked and _felt_ real.

Ash sometimes wondered if the illusions could become physical… He wouldn't be surprised if Trickster will be capable of making them physical in the future. Nevertheless, he also made Trickster train physically and practice moves such as Thunderbolt and Sludge Bomb in case of need.

Now Pikachu… Pikachu is a very scary Pokémon. That is a fact that remains in the roots of his team's heart. Even Falcon would have no chance against that electric mouse and secretly asked Ash to _never_ evolve the mouse. Glacia may be a powerhouse in all aspects, but Pikachu is an offensive _monster_.

Why? Well… A normal Pikachu can absorb lightning and fire thunderbolts with barely any problems. A normal Pikachu is pretty fast and can learn some decent, small moves.

A normal Pikachu is not capable of splitting rocks. A normal Pikachu does _not_ have the ability to control water.

A normal Pikachu can't simply destroy five trees by _piercing through them_ with a single thunderbolt. Which is what Pikachu can do now. After Ash began feeding his Pokémon aura from his factory sized aura supply they began to get stronger at a fast rate. Pikachu's speed increased but the true increase was in his electric attacks.

It surpassed a Raichu by far. Now, Ash is not one to believe in deities except for Arceus but he was pretty close to calling his Pikachu one if that electric mouse will keep growling like that. He might have to _limit_ the Pokémon in order not to _kill_ any weaker ones.

But like his trainer, Pikachu was extremely charismatic and not stupid in the slightest. He wasn't going for the peak of a Pikachu, he was going for the ranks of legendaries. His dream changed from dreaming to being the strongest Pikachu to becoming the strongest electric type. With Ash, he was going to reach that dream and help his trainer reach his at the same time.

All the Pokémon around the electric mouse agreed with that dream. Even Brock's, and later on Caitlin's after seeing the growth rate.

They were getting stronger. They were going for the higher levels. They were reaching the adept levels. After all, they couldn't be an elite yet. They couldn't be an elite four member yet.

A Pokémon can grow extremely fast, but later on they will have trouble to keep growing. Ash simply uses his aura to extend the natural fast growth rate - not that he knew though.

A normal Pokémon doesn't get strong so fast. A normal Pokémon doesn't evolve so fast. It seems that Ash and his friends simply have the strangest luck and the best methods for growth.

But Brock and Caitlin's teams grew up stronger as well. Even Golett, the one who remained usually aloof and stayed away from others except Trickster began to get closer to all the Pokémon.

Brock was hoping that the Golett will evolve this year as having a very powerful Golurk on his team next to his powerhouse of a Tyranitar, Steelix and Golem would make him feel much safer because they were going to have tons of rough times in the future.

Not to say that Ninetales and Roserade weren't getting stronger. No, they too were growing up faster than usual. The training, food and tons of hard battles made them get stronger so much faster that it was getting results similar to that of three months in a safe environment.

That would also explain Ash's, who pretty much had his team grow stronger at _double_ the rate his own pace.

Caitlin was in a similar situation. Lately, her Gardevoir and Gallade joined them in training with respect and even helped out some of them. Her Espeon was so much stronger it was weird to see this growth rate as her Gallade and Gardevoir took much, much longer to get that strong. Even her Metang, a pseudo-legendary, should not grow that fast. But they all did.

Briefly, she wondered what she might become if she didn't travel with Ash. But for now, she was content. She was even considering going through the Orange Islands with Ash but only after Ash told her he wasn't going for the league there.

No, Ash decided to take the Orange Islands in a much more different approach. Something that made even _Caitlin_ intrigued. Heck, even Brock wanted to do it.

What it is that they'll do will remain a secret until they approach it, but let it be known that it is much different compared to the silly challenges and hard battle at the end that the Orange Island league is known for.

Caitlin recently held six Pokéballs as well. She said that it's meant for protection now that they're in danger but those two have been a secret for now. It _definitely_ made the boys curious though.

But for now… The month is up. The swarm was now in a wide open area with the leaders staying there. It's time for _action_ and above all… Sweet, sweet revenge!

* * *

Currently, three trainers were hiding near the trees. It was bright, far too bright for the bat Pokémon so they were currently all resting in the same area.

"You guys know the plan?" Ash asked to be certain. Right now, they were behind one of the larger trees and out of range for the bat Pokémon.

The two other trainers nodded and called out a pokémon each. Caitlin called out her Espeon whereas Brock called out Roserade.

Ash's Pikachu remained silent on top of his trainer's shoulder, listening. He had to make sure nobody would come close and his good hearing helped out here.

"I'll begin. Ready, Caitlin?" Brock asked his female traveling partner. Caitlin nodded with a slight smile as she turned to Espeon.

"Use psychic to contain the orb of sweet scent - do _not_ let anything escape. The same for Aromatherapy," Caitlin ordered the Espeon which nodded silently.

Brock turned to his own Pokémon. "Roserade, can you use sweet scent and aromatherapy at the same time? Try to keep it as close as possible so we can make an orb of it and let it out in the clearing. This'll lower their guard and we can take action."

Roserade nodded and started to use her sweet scent and aromatherapy. The Espeon used psychic and began to contain everything from smell to the small particles of energy in the sweet scent and aromatherapy.

"Alright Pikachu, we'll take out the leaders right away. They're the three Crobat in the large tree, the biggest probably the real leader and the two others to make sure they can command such a large amount," Ash ordered his Pikachu.

" _Sure thing Ash. I'll use thunder right away so that they can't escape or anything. It should paralyze them enough_."

Ash nodded in agreement and turned to the two Pokémon that were currently working on their distraction.

"Ready?" Ash asked to be sure. He had the dangerous part in this plan - charge right in the middle and fire the strongest attack on the leaders so they're down. After that, it'll be a complete chaos of battle. His team was stronger now though, so much stronger they should be capable enough for it.

The two Pokémon nodded before Espeon fired the orb in the middle of the clearing. It soon erupted and out of it came a sweet, calming smell that instantly lowered all guards no matter how tough they are.

Ash rushed through it. Right now, the sweet scent was a pink cloud and it could hide his figure enough. He didn't need to order Pikachu, just get close enough so that he could support his electric type. Still, he had to do it… Maybe it's something inborn.

He whispered softly, "Thunder," and out of it came Pikachu's reply.

Whoever had seen a Raikou fire off a thunderbolt would compare it to this Pikachu's thunder. It wasn't blue. It was something not even a Raichu could do. A massive dragon-like form came out of the thunder and charged at the speed of lightning at the three leaders who were now awake with their guards down.

They were down for the count. The moment the thunder hit the three leaders and the tree, it turned into a massive explosion. Ash could hear three faint thuds which, after confirming it, were three downed leaders. Seeing his chance, he lobbed three normal pokéballs to them and captured the three, making sure they'll stay out.

Caitlin and Brock rushed up to him as the Crobat now woke up fully, flying around them.

A quarter of the previous amount - but still highly dangerous. At least 600 _Crobat_ were here. Not a single Golbat in sight. This was definitely their resting spot as well as their final spot before the group can go on and call the league for support.

Why hadn't they done so earlier? It's because the league is _unfair_ unless you call _Lance_ to solve it.

Why would they believe three children mentioning that thousands of Golbat and Crobat were there? Even if they did, there are no other reports on them being on the cycling road, but why is that?

Still, no time to think about it. They called out all of their Pokémon, and this time Caitlin's two unknown Pokémon were shown.

One was one of the three mighty beasts, a dog, or perhaps, leonine figure with a mask as it let out a roar that echoed throughout the entire cycling road. Its mighty figure was revealed with brown fur and a large mane. The spikes on its back made it look pretty dangerous.

So this was her Entei… the other one?

A gothic-like figure stood there, tall and proud as it began to glow a fierce blue. Caitlin once told them of her - her starter Pokémon. A Gothitelle. Perhaps her strongest psychic type yet as the gothic Pokémon used Psychic and made at least forty Crobat instantly go down. Entei used Crush Claw as he rushed in… and the madness began.

Storms of snow, lightning and fire were seen in the clearing. Walls of ice were created, illusions that terrified the Crobat appeared as a Gengar knocked out all those who ran away, a ninja-like Pokémon guarded the humans and the terror that the massive Pokémon brought upon them. A Tyranitar that began to use Dark Pulse in order to hit those who fly, a Steelix using its massive length to reach higher and firing Dragonbreath, a Golem firing off Rock Blasts like there is no end, a Ninetales now using Extrasensory as well as Iron Tail with its nine tails, each tail moving smoothly and hitting a target each, a giant Golett slamming massive fists down upon those who thought they could fight.

This wasn't just a battle.

It was a _massacre_. No deaths were seen, but they were all brutally beaten down so that they can't escape the area. So that they can be brought back to nature after the league confirms their health and proper behavior.

It took only an hour, but for them it felt like days. High brain activity made them look around and see countless knocked out Crobat on top of each other. Another job done and soon enough, Gardevoir teleported even those to their very own hideout in the area.

A cliff was seen at the edge of the cycling road. A cliff which had an entrance and within it was a wide, open space. Countless Golbat and Crobat were seen here, all within 'cells' that were reinforced with the help of a psychic type so they could not escape. Heck, all of them were paralyzed or put to sleep. Now, the last of the cages were filled as the trainers appeared in the cliff.

Why had they done this? It's simple; they needed to make sure they could bring the league here and fix it all. The Crobat were acting strange, so Ash started first.

"Now that we're safer.. Please keep Entei out of his Pokéball," Ash asked Caitlin as he turned to the beast of Fire. "Roar, if you will. I need you to wake them all up… That massive roar will help," he smiled softly at the legendary. It wasn't the first, but since he was Caitlin's Pokémon, he didn't care if he was slightly demanding to such a beautiful beast.

Entei didn't take offense either. The boy in front of it was a charismatic one, one that traveled with his precious trainer and showed smarts that were needed. Like the boy said, he roared so loud that all of the Golbat and Crobat woke up, now fully alert in their dark areas. But soon after, Pikachu used Flash so everything was visible.

"Now, to get answers…" Ash threw the main leader's Pokéball in front of him. Entei was there so that was intimidating enough.

Out of it came a massive Crobat, one that was definitely the leader of the entire swarm. Small scars of battle yet so young - it must've become a recent leader.

"You," Ash began as his eyes began to glow a fierce red. No longer was his expression kind as he glared at the Crobat that caused troubles and attempted to harm them. No, it went past their first idea for training because the Bat Pokémon even attacked the humans. No normal Pokémon does that unless they're in mating ground and Ash _knew_ that their mating grounds are caverns. Not forests.

The Crobat's eyes widened in fear at seeing a Legendary, let alone the human that definitely beat it with a sparking Pikachu next to him. Seeing that he had no choice, the Crobat let out a resigned sigh.

" _Well.. Kill me,_ " the Crobat mumbled as Ash blinked a few times.

Shaking his head he replied. "I will not kill you. I want answers and I want them now. All of these bats never answered in their rage and when they were bound here so they couldn't escape, they wouldn't even speak. I need you to."

The Crobat's red eyes widened as he flew up almost instantly, in front of the trainer. Almost as if scrutinizing him, " _Did you just understand what I said?_ "

Ash smiled bemusedly. Why is this so hard to understand for Pokémon? Some humans can do it. "Yes, yes I can. Could you answer my questions?"

The Crobat's eyes widened even further before looking around. This was definitely his swarm, all of them. None of them were captured except him and his two fellow leaders.

Smart choice too.

" _Yes, I will. Rather, I have no choice do I?_ "

Ash chuckled slightly. "You do, but then I'd throw you all to the league in order to confirm you won't attack humans again."

" _It's you humans that made us attack! You ruined our mating areas, all of them riding on those damned things! They collapsed the entire cave, breaking all our offspring's eggs because we escaped into it to prevent battle!_ "

Ash blinked a few times before his voice changed. Heck, even Entei's fur began to stand up in slight fear. This was definitely the Chosen One. One that is _angered_.

Another case of lost lives before they could begin. Another case where Ash will take action.

"What?" Ash practically snarled out as his entire body began to glow. His eyes became the brightest of red, almost shining at the Crobat. His body's aura, which was blue, practically erupted from him and turned red to show the signs of the chosen.

" _You heard what I said! We wanted revenge and find those who did it! You three rode on those damned things too, albeit smaller!_ "

Ash glared at the Crobat before his hand began to itch. He wanted to punch something or _someone._

"Why did you arrive here then?"

" _They followed us, day and night. They kept attacking our weaker members, making us fly off. Yes, we usually pass by here, but our little Zubat have been caught already and can't escape their clutches. They kept coming and coming until we stayed here._ "

Seeing this, Ash's gears began to grind. An idea popped in his head.

"Bikers. A gang. They must've done it," Ash mumbled before he looked around. Seeing the Golbat and Crobat silent, he called out the other two leaders and used his bastardized heal pulse.

Crobat, as if feeling a God had just healed him, blinked. A massive red aura went into his body and his wounds from the thunder attack disappeared, making the leader hesitate.

"You will come with us. All of you. You will all come with us and make us search for those who did this to you." Ash practically commanded. This wasn't his first time doing so. Last time involved Kyogre. For a 12 year old, he had a pretty good commanding voice. Damn genetics.

" _Guide you and do what? Hurt all of our little Zubat? They practically threaten us to kill them if we even hurt one of their Pokémon! We can't do but run!_ " The leader roared, getting into Ash's face.

That was also the moment the Crobat made a mistake. A yellow blur appeared on Ash's shoulder and the Crobat spotted a light, glowing blue pair of eyes.

Pikachu wasn't amused. They were getting far too violent for his trainer.

"You will do so. We will make sure none of the Zubat will get hurt, we will make sure the ones who did this will get punished." Ash's voice became calm, forcibly. Having Pikachu on his shoulder helped a lot as the glow gradually faded around him. He shouldn't be angry at them, he understood now.

A gang forced them to do this. It was practically the only damn thing that could unless a group of bicycle riding idiots decided to attack a cave but no normal trainer does so.

Why would they target them? It was definitely swarm season, everyone knows this. Even the Zubat, Golbat and Crobat in the area.

The cycling road… The bikers wanted control of it? It was a possible option.

Ash turned around, not even letting the Crobat deny him now. He turned to his friends and began to explain what was said and soon enough, a blue glowing Caitlin actually _snarled_ and Brock's eyes opened to show fierce, dark brown eyes. Ones that show he will hurt someone.

Brock was with Ash on Kyogre and understood this. However, he was still enraged. To willingly collapse a cavern onto eggs of newborns? His recent studies show that Pokémon inside of eggs still know what happens on the outside. They can _feel_. That meant they died right away, having no chance to go on their lives and do what any other Zubat or their evolution does.

Yes, he had a certain dislike to Zubats thanks to caves, but this… Not even Brock would dare to even think of it. His instincts as a trainee doctor screamed at him to punish them.

Caitlin nearly lost control of herself there. The glowing blue actually _broke_ all of the bounds against the Golbat and Crobat, but despite being free the bats did no longer attack. Instead, they watched.

The leader now tried to ask them to stop it so the young ones don't get hurt, but Ash turned around and spoke the harsh truth.

"You think that they don't hurt them now? Newborn Zubat can't battle properly. How do you think they may train them? They won't coddle the little ones 'till their bodies are grown, they'll make them battle right away. Against their own brothers and sister."

Ash fully turned to the Crobat, practically showing hate in his eyes. "They won't be kind. They're just using you. Come with us and end this so it can be over. You have made us stay in a forest, without human food and made us live off of the wild for a month. I can practically promise you that if you don't help us we'll do it on our own and if you intend to stop us… Caitlin will probably ask Entei to prepare bats for dinner. She's nagging about wanting a bath for weeks now."

Ash's head fell forward, making him rub the back of his head. That _definitely_ hurt. Who the hell was that?

Turning around to glare at the one who did it, he could see Caitlin turn away slightly with an innocent smile.

Shaking his head, he turned to the Crobat. "If this isn't enough damn evidence, I don't know what is. Will you come with us so you can have a field day messing around with the gang or will you hide like little babies?"

The Crobat stared at the charismatic boy. That was the aura of a leader, a real leader. The respect for this _human_ went up a notch or five.

Reluctantly, the Crobat closed its eyes and let out a sigh. " _Fine. We have no choice._ "

Ash smiled and pressed the release buttons of his Pokéballs, releasing the three Crobat.

"Now will you come with us?"

The Bat Pokémon only stared. The boy didn't even keep the leader with him, only captured to make sure he listened… and released him right after he was done talking. Now that was an action many would respect, even the leader.

Ash's words and actions yet again made him become friends with Pokémon. This time reaching thousands.

Crobat flew up, practically roaring out a command. He'll help the boy now. That final action did it.

" _Everyone! We will follow them, we will battle those who killed and even captured our young! Let us have revenge, alongside these trainers who have foolishly made suffer!_ "

The cries of Golbat and Crobat were heard in the cave as the trainers now walked outside. Entei was astonished… _This was the Chosen? A boy that was still a child could turn over so many Pokémon and fight with him?_

 _It didn't even make sense how they began to listen him. His immature thoughts, his immature actions and yet, the bats followed him. They followed him as if he's the one who can lead them._

Entei now understood. This was probably why his creator blessed the human, the rainbow feather glowing brightly alongside the silver wing as if showing approval.

* * *

It took a day or two, but they found the ones responsible.

One hundred thugs, all of them riding on bikes were relaxing at a giant restaurant. A resting spot in the Cycling Road and they practically ruined it by throwing empty cans of beer around or messing with graffiti.

It seems that not only Pokémon suffer thanks to them because the staff was absolutely terrified.

When they arrived, Ash had to calm down every single Bat Pokémon. It took a few words, but they listened.

They needed a plan. Attack when their guards are down. When it turns night and the bats are completely awake.

Hearing that, every single creature admitted it was a good idea. The leader calmed down his subjects and made them rest all around the area, forming a circle so the thugs could not escape.

Staying with the group of trainers was the main leader. The other two made sure to calm the ones in the distance.

" _We fight at night, but what if they call out our young ones?_ "

Ash turned to the Crobat who asked that. They were currently chewing on some leftover berries from their survival. Ash was pretty curious how fast those berries could grow but ignored it.

"Yes. If we fight silently at the start and knock out the most of them, they can't call out their Pokémon. If we rush, we can at least defeat around seventy before a single Pokémon is called out on their side… Which reduces the amount of Zubat greatly. The ones who do get called out can be knocked out by Hypnosis or Sleep Powder." Ash explained as the leader nodded.

" _What will happen to the men who did all of this? Truthfully, I want to suck their blood and end their lives, but I assume that is not something you wish to do,_ " the Crobat began as he stared at the young boy.

Ash shook his head. "Showing such violence makes you a target of the league. While it's a thing of wild Pokémon, this is a human area. If you do that, you can be assured of the fact that you'll get hunted down to the last of your kind."

The Crobat stayed silent as he stared at the child, but soon blinked when a small cold smile was seen on Ash's face.

"I may be a child, I may be 12… but I've read and watched more bloodshed than you can imagine. The books where I studied weren't just knowledge, but also history and actions against Pokémon. I know what'll happen to them in the league as well when we capture them."

Walking a bit to the edge and leaning against a tree, Ash let out a small sigh. His Pokémon were all having a meal right now so he was alone with Crobat. The Crobat earned his team's trust so far to let him do that.

"They'll be captured, practically _tortured_ for the rest of their lives. They'll be forced to work in mines, forced to work even if their hands will bleed or their arms are broken. They'll be treated worse than a Magikarp is treated by the general populace. Humans can be pretty scary y'know. That means they'll have to endure this until their very own death happens, whether it is of old age or work accidents."

The Crobat remained silent before closing his eyes. " _I see. Fitting, I suppose. Harsh as it may be, it quells my anger to make them endure that. I suppose I might be on the more bloodthirsty side of wild Pokémon,_ " the Crobat made a sound similar to laughter.

Ash gave a small grin. "If you're bloodthirsty, I don't know what we are. I've stayed with a school of Gyarados when I was a kid and trust me, you have nothing on them. They adored me and my friends, but damn you should've seen them when a school of Sharpedo tried to take their area. Some humans just watched this for amusement too as I could spot a small boat in the distance. "

The Crobat laughed even louder at that. This boy was amusing. He stayed with Gyarados as a kid? No wonder he isn't terrified of his own kind! Humans were pretty bad too, but they are all animals so it can be understood.

"Eat and rest, Crobat." Ash's maroon eyes began to glow slightly. "We have work to do tonight and you need to be at your best."

The Crobat didn't mind the order, heck, he was happy to oblige. Flying to the group of Pokémon, he went for some food that Brock made.

Closing his eyes, Ash began to sit down on the ground with a small shiver. His darker emotions that he used to hide so perfectly, bottle up so perfectly popped up.

He was terrified of his own actions. He was terrified of his own thoughts. Terrified of himself.

He was the Chosen One. One who will protect, yet he now fights for blood. Blood of his own species.

Was this what he was supposed to do? He was only 12! He knew of bloodshed, S.S. Anne was only a small thing for him after seeing the battle between Gyarados and Sharpedo.

Why did Arceus bless him? Why was he born with this fate? He might show charisma and a great front, but in the end, he is still a child.

Feeling a small embrace calmed the boy. He didn't even register who it was, but he could smell it. It seems Caitlin was here, probably thanks to Gardevoir mentioning his state of emotion.

Calmed down by the scent of vanilla that remained with the older female figure, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. He felt at peace like that, not having any negative thoughts.

Caitlin, after noticing Ash fell asleep, let out a small sigh.

"Actions such as these aren't done by children… But it appears that Ash is one who breaks that rule. Understandable if you see his position as the Chosen... " Turning to her right, she could see Entei walking up to them.

" _He has fallen asleep, I see. Perhaps it was necessary - he is but a child._ " Entei's fatherly voice could be heard. It was soft and smooth yet had the voice that made you want to call him a father.

"Yes. He was terrified just now, probably at himself. It seems we need to take care of his emotional states because the rage two days ago far surpassed my own. Frankly, I'm surprised he hadn't rushed in yet."

The Entei shook his head, " _Arceus chooses a single human, a single human with a destiny for greatness. Ash, as young as he is, is the Chosen One. He finds the need to do this no matter what age as this was the right decision. Even if deaths may happen to the humans, even if some Pokémon perished, he must endure. 'Tis the fate of the Chosen, as harsh as it is._ "

Caitlin bit her lower lip. "It's unfair and harsh. Arceus should have made a decision once one is an adult."

Entei let out a small sigh. " _That is something many legendaries say, despite not liking the idea of a human with the power of a legendary. A child shouldn't suffer like this, but the Almighty One wishes for the Chosen One to see the darker side as soon as possible so he can get used to it. I quote: You only appreciate the light after seeing the dark._ "

Caitlin shook her head. "That still does not mean it should happen at this age."

Entei let out an understanding grunt before walking up to the two. Laying down next to Ash, his red eyes turned to Caitlin. " _Will you help him?_ "

Caitlin who finally showed a smile, as sad as she feels, replied with an even tone. "I must. I felt like him once with my very own psychic abilities, after all, is it not I who ended my parents' lives? This boy might end up the same. Not just with his abilities, but also his decisions."

The Entei's eyes became fiercer. " _Yes, but it was an accident in your case._ "

Caitlin looked at Ash. "This boy is still young. He was the same age as when I did that… I don't want him to feel like I do," she whispered as she held Ash a little closer. Perhaps she should spoil the boy a bit? "I think I'll sleep for a bit. I need some rest myself.." She silently leaned against the warm fur of legendary beast, closing her eyes.

A darker part in her mind laughed in glee at the idea of letting the boy get a small crush on her. He'd become a fine man after she was done with him. Emotionally and physically as far as she could see.

Red eyes softened at the sight before letting out a small sigh. It appears that the young Chosen smiles all the time, but he bottles up the darker feelings. He is one who needs companions, it seems.

Not for the first time, the Legendary Pokémon let out a small growl of distaste to Arceus's decision. It was plain cruel even if the Chosen One has a heart of gold and most likely forgives it all.

But Entei soon rested as well. The others followed up, getting some sleep until it is night.

* * *

Despite having had such dark thoughts before, he woke up much clearer. The warmth of fur and an embrace made him feel much better. Opening his maroon eyes, he could see the dark blonde hair of his traveling companion and smiled slightly.

Maybe he was just that obvious? Well… He was at least glad she cared. Around him were his Pokémon and surprisingly a lot of Crobat as if joining them for sleep. Even Brock was resting against Ninetales' body next to them.

"Good evening, I suppose," Ash yawned out softly as he tried to stand up.

Keyword: _tried_.

He was instantly dragged down by a sleepy Caitlin and used as a hugging pillow. Maybe it's his aura that made him so damn comfortable, but Caitlin had to admit that she wanted to sleep with him more often if this was the result. Natural warmth, calming aura and just a sweet little boy with no lesser innocent thoughts.

Entei, who had woken up the instant Ash yawned, looked at them in amusement. " _I see you have woken up, Chosen._ "

"Yeah… Seems like I'll stay like this for a bit though." Ash had the perfect deadpan expression.

The Entei's body rumbled slightly, making an amused chuckle. " _Truly, my trainer is amusing is she not? When I battled her, she made me interested. Up until now I hold no regrets; she lets me do as I please. I can commit to my duties as a messenger for legendaries if I am needed, but at times like this I can simply stay with her. Seeing her like this, sleeping so comfortably… I hope that you will stay with her longer. Not just for her, but yourself as well. I saw you break down gradually there… She was worried, you know?_ "

Ash blinked a bit before biting his lower lip. "Didn't know it was _that_ obvious. I hope I didn't bother her that much."

" _Hmhmhm… It's fine, young Chosen. Even I disagree with Arceus for making you take this road, where you will see the darker parts of the world as a child. Many of us legendaries do, actually. Even recently when I heard Suicune talk about her seeing you, or Kyogre who came to a legendary meeting after its slumber._ "

"Oh? Are they doing well?" Ash smiled softly at the Entei. He liked to know the Kyogre who was interested in him and the Suicune that he trained with for a day. It was a good experience after all.

" _Hm. Such a kind trainer, worrying about legendaries,_ " Entei saw through Ash so easily that Ash hadn't realized he was worried. Perhaps because of the Team Aqua drama in Hoenn. " _They are doing well. I believe that this darned Team Aqua will only move in a few years, by that time I assume you will reach Hoenn._ "

Ash nodded absentmindedly. "Yes. I must do so, but by that time I hope I am much stronger and have more friends with me. Don't get me wrong, but I intend to keep a '6 pokémon per region' rule to myself so I don't ignore my older ones for an entire region," Ash tried to justify himself at the end, which was a good reason.

Entei began to let out another amused chuckle, " _Such a fine Chosen. You care about your Pokémon, something I can respect. However - you are not leaving them behind. After all, can you not switch them out? I believe you also have a 10 slot carry if what Caitlin told me was right._ "

"Yeah… I also want to keep at least 2 slots open at all times. If I do well in the league, I hope that Professor Oak will increase it to 12 so I can carry at least 10 Pokémon at a time," Ash began with a small smile.

Entei shook its head in amusement. Such a caring child, any Pokémon of his would be considered spoiled compared to some others. " _Truly amusing. However, young chosen. What if one wishes to stay with you despite your six pokémon rule?_ "

Ash blinked a few times before he had to think about it. "I … do not know. I know that it would be stupid to deny it, but that would mean I would have to leave behind Pokémon so much faster. There's also the issue of training," he pouted slightly.

Entei looked at them, raising a metaphorical eyebrow. " _If you have such troubles, simply leave two at once or perhaps more. That would keep them together as well as have training partners. I believe it's also a good idea to simply leave them with training methods and special dieting menus,_ " he tried to reason. After all, legendaries will join his team in the future. It's likely that Ash will have to implement special training menus and meals. He hoped this would go well for the boy.

"That.. is true." Ash closed his eyes, thinking about it before opening them and revealing a small smile to Entei. "I will let them join of course. Depending on their own wishes - battle or else, I will decide what ball they can get in. If I need to, I can simply create more of my Cherish Balls." Ash raised a red Cherish Ball, showing it to Entei.

" _A fitting name for such a fitting Pokéball. One made by your own blood, sweat and tears. I can feel your heart inside of this ball. I just wish that you'll think of the Pokémon that might wish to join you. It's not as if it's the first time a Pokémon wishes to do so; I've seen a Mew in the past stalking a trainer to get caught… Naturally, the trainer eventually did so and they had battled like no other. I believe this trainer's name was Aaron… Truly, it was interesting._ "

"Oh? Aaron, the past Chosen I believe?" Ash asked curiously. Hearing of a Mew, one of the species that absolutely loathe being seen publicly follow a trainer like that was amusing.

" _Indeed. He was also much older, something I approved… But do not worry, with my trainer and I, we will train and guide you to a better future. For now, rest just a little longer. We will commence the plan in an hour, is that acceptable?_ "

Ash let out a small yawn. "Sure… It's still a little light, meaning it just got dark so… Goodnight, Entei."

Entei chuckled as he felt the boy fall asleep again. His gaze then turned to his trainers. " _You are obviously not asleep, Caitlin. At least, you woke up halfway my conversation._ "

Caitlin simply giggled as she hugged Ash. "True, but he's comfortable. I wish I could keep him just like that, but he has better things to do… perhaps something for in the future?" she smiled dreamily.

Entei chuckled. " _The Chosen in the past had multiple lovers too. Perhaps, it might happen again. Ash, however, is completely pure. I am not certain… What would you do if he is one who desires for multiple lovers?_ "

Caitlin smirked slightly. "If he _really_ needs more girls, I can just ask Cynthia… from what I believe, she started her journey recently with her Gible. It'll be amusing to see how someone like her will do with Ash. That is, if I want to be with him. After all, he's still a little too young to understand."

" _Ah.. Another candidate for the chosen. She too, will become an important figure in the future. This much I can tell._ " Entei simply told the Psychic Trainer who nodded and let out a yawn.

"Cynthia's always been special.. No matter, I'm going to sleep just a bit longer." She closed her eyes with a content smile, holding onto Ash who recently began to lean a bit closer to her warmth. Truly, she felt like a big sister.. or perhaps a lover at this moment? Who knows except for the girl herself.

Entei shook his head. " _Humans, I will never understand their mating rituals…_ " he mumbled before going to sleep for another hour. They had the time.

He did hear the small rumbles of laughter around him being some Golbat and Crobat, obviously in amusement. Even the sound of a giggling Gardevoir could be heard. No matter, for now there's another hour of rest.

* * *

Ash finally sat up with a yawn. Next to him, Caitlin woke up as well and let him go. He felt really refreshed. No negative thoughts, no horrible self doubt. He felt like he could take the world on!

"So, is everyone awake?" Ash asked out loud. The entire forest, as if hearing his call, began to whistle through the wind. Countless Crobat and Golbat woke up and were ready for the signal. Brock was already up and stretching which Ash and Caitlin soon followed up. They needed to flex their muscles before going in.

"Psychic type Pokémon will steal all the balls. Roserade will use sleep powder on the group to prevent them from waking up, or if they do, instantly fall asleep. Add some stun powder," Ash began as he looked at Brock's Roserade. They already discussed about giving orders with Ash, so the Pokémon that belongs to Brock just listened sharply.

Ash turned to Tyranitar and grinned widely. "If they run… Grab them. Destroy their bikes, crush all their escape methods. Golbat and Crobat will prevent any from escaping in the sky."

Turning to his Greninja and Meowth, Ash gained a devious smile. "Get me the leader. I'll crush him and his Pokémon personally," perhaps a hint of anger was seen. It was obvious Ash isn't one to forgive evil that easily.

"Crobat, protect the innocent workers. I know you dislike humans, but this'll show you why there's also good and why you shouldn't have attacked us. I know you already feel ashamed, but let it be a lesson. Alright?" he asked the leader of the swarm.

The Crobat simply nodded in agreement, now showing a grin with his teeth. " _Any who harm the workers will meet with my Poison Fang and Cross Poison._ "

Ash chuckled darkly, a little out of character, as he turned to the area where they ate at the restaurant and also slept. "Start the plan. Mass spread first, Roserade. Espeon, prevent the powders from reaching any other pokémon or person outside of those in the building. Golbats, Crobats. Use your wings and give us a lil' wind."

The actions were done instantly. Blue and yellow powder flew straight at the building and entered through the open windows, small holes and doors that were slightly opened. The thugs who were drunk instantly fell asleep or were too paralyzed to do anything. The instant they tried, they were already down after breathing in the powder. Like that, unlike what Ash assumed to be perhaps 70 people down, it went down to 10 thugs left. One of them being the leader.

"Move." Ash spoke and instantly used his aura to form that tail. It would give him the power he needed to instantly make it there and he slammed it against the ground, crushing it but also sending himself forwards by flying to it.

Pokémon all began to fly towards the area. The giant ones, which were Talonflame, Tyranitar, Steelix and Golett instantly began to crush all the bikes and escape methods.

Psychics such as Gardevoir, Gothitelle, Espeon, Metang and even Ninetales were using their abilities to take away all the pokéballs. Instantly, they had at least gotten all the weaker, baby Zubats from them.

The one infiltrating, being Greninja and Meowth knocked out at least 5 and grabbed the leader. Right now, 4 other thugs were free but they were down easily. The moment Ash landed properly and used his 'aura tail', he jumped off to the four and kneed one straight in the face before twisting his body and using the tail to slam another down. Caitlin and Brock soon followed up with Caitlin using her palm to slam upwards to a thug that was about to act cocky, making him shut up and rattle his brain before using the only thing a woman can do best.

She kicked him straight in between the legs.

Ash and Brock both thanked Arceus for having her on their side.

Brock grabbed the man's arm and twisted it before using his knee and breaking the forearm. He didn't hesitate - this happened with the Crobat as well. this was all to protect and he knew it. That's why he did not hesitate.

Grabbing the Mohawk of the thug, he slammed the man's face straight into the floor and knocked him out. To be sure, they made psychic types levitate them in the air where Crobat and Golbat tauntingly began to fly around as if looking at prey.

Now there was only the leader. A couple of minutes and three children took out a hundred thugs, truly shocking.

"So… The leader?" Ash asked with his glowing, red eyes as he walked towards the shadows where he _knew_ Greninja was. The Ninja Pokémon pushed a fat man forward. Fat, filled with muscle and being bald. Tattoos of all kinds were lingered on his body and Ash gained a cold smile.

"Take lives, will you? Threaten lives, will you? You made us stay in the forest for a month, actually trying to survive. You killed countless baby Pokémon… I judge you, guilty."

"Ha! As if some brat can stop me! I just need one Pokémon to end 'em all!" The leader taunted as he grabbed a Pokéball. Seeing that, Ash grinned slightly and _disappeared._

Speed, almost as if his aura guided him through his anger, was gained in an instant. Aura perhaps instinctively made him rush forward and he grabbed the man's large head before _throwing_ forward and throwing him out of the building, underneath the countless Golbat and Crobat, as well as giant Pokémon staring the man down. Ash walked out of it calmly, his footsteps echoing throughout the night.

"Your actions aren't something I forgive easily. Neither are your pokémon, who supported it. Why else would they have not hurt you yet?" Ash began as Pikachu jumped forward and he gave the man a taunting smile.

"I, who lived in the month, survived and thrived there with my Pokémon will challenge your foolish ideas. Let me show you what happens when you anger a sleeping dragon." Ash began, almost as if acting too cocky for his own good.

He wasn't, he was just taunting the man.

"Ha! A small rat? Get 'im Machamp!" He called out his first Pokémon, a four armed musclehead that instantly roared and looked at the Pikachu with a grin that ridiculed the mouse.

As if not shaken by it in the slightest, the Pikachu yawned. " _So weak. Greninja is far stronger than this fighting type when using Protean…_ "

Taunts. Damn good taunts. The Machamp got enraged and happily obliged to his trainer's call to use Karate Chop on the mouse.

A glowing white karate chop went down and looked as if it hit the Pikachu, crushing the ground underneath in a show of unnecessary power. Pikachu, who was previously standing there simply stood a little in front of the hand now with a bored look. This was definitely to torture the Machamp a little.

"Can't hit him? Keep it going Machamp! Dynamic Punch!" The leader roared out his command as the Machamp now held a fist full of explosive power and attempted to hit the yellow mouse.

Why don't they just learn?

Pikachu used a mix of Double Team and Agility, dodging the move like it was but child's play. Crobats were _much_ faster. Let alone the Dodrio, Rapidash and others he fought against the past month.

"Pikachu, you can end it now. Show him your power," Ash smiled thinly. Pikachu would now show his strength, in order to make sure the leader will lose his confidence.

A thunder like seen in the legends rose from the ground, right into the skies. As if calling it, thunder went downwards to the Machamp. Both, when hit on the ground and falling from the sky hit the Machamp without any mercy. Heck, Ash could _smell_ the ozone.

The Machamp roared in pain. Its natural defense helped out here because if it was anything less, the Pokémon would've died almost instantly. That's why Pikachu didn't show any mercy.

"Iron tail," and as if the Thunder wasn't enough, Pikachu's tail gained a metallic glint. In a practiced manner, the Pikachu jumped with a powerful spin and slammed the flat side of his tail into the Machamp's head, sending it flying as if it's as weak as a newborn Rattata.

"So weak… This is your best?" Ash grinned slightly, wondering if the man had anything better.

Pikachu laughed at the face of the leader of the thugs, completely ashened by the sight of a little mouse wrecking his presumably strongest Pokémon.

"Grr…" The leader growled in rage. Nobody defied him! He's the leader of the Red Skull Gang!

"Get him, Golem!"

Out of it came a small Golem. Brock's Golem was offended by the sight of such a weakling amongst his species. This was definitely an instant evolution and no training for a Graveler.

Ash shook his head and called out for Pikachu to come back.

"Hermit. Take 'im."

The Greninja moved so fast, so silently it was as if he appeared at his trainer's call. The Ninja Pokémon's eyes stared at the weak Golem before bowing slightly to at least show some respect.

"Rollout! Take out that scrawny Greninja!"

 _...Scrawny? Did he mean that he was weak?_

Rushing forward with his body bent so low it almost touched the ground, the Greninja stopped just behind the Golem at a speed that surprised many. Twisting his body with pure force, the Greninja used Low Kick and kicked the feet of the Golem down to make it fall backwards.

It obviously hurt seeing the added effect of _weight_ increasing the damage. The Golem fell downwards with all of its weight, but Greninja wasn't done.

Two Power-Up Punches were sent on the falling Golem, slamming it down even harder and preventing it from using Rollout too soon.

Jumping upwards using Bounce, the Greninja glared silently at the Golem and charged fighting type energy in his legs. Falling downwards, the Greninja _slammed_ his foot down onto the Golem causing a few cracks to appear on its body, but a large _crater_ on the ground by the power of the Bounce Kick.

 _You don't mess with a powered up Hi-Jump Kick. Let alone a Bounce Kick._

Golem was down. Instantly, no chance in the slightest. Absolute power was shown to the leader of the thugs who always safely hid behind the large amount of grunts.

"That's all?" Ash asked as Hermit walked to his trainer, casually.

"W-wha… Ugh, no matter! Take 'em Skuntank! Poison Gas 'em all!"

Seeing the danger at the sudden attack, especially because the man ordered the Poison Type to actually _gas them_ as well he held his hand up.

"Falcon! Take him out, right now!" With that a loud screech was heard and a flaming bird came into view. Brave Bird combined with Flame Charge was seen, both boosting the speed of the Fire/Flying Pokémon and it slammed into the Skuntank before it could even commit the move.

The Talonflame was ready to intervene at any given moment. That's why the Pokémon replied so fast to Ash's words as the fire type was above them the entire time.

"What else, weakling?" Ash smiled mockingly before seeing the dangerous grin on the man's face.

"Heh...hehehehe.. A bunch of snot nosed kids think they can take me out? Electrode, explosion!" He called out his final Pokémon in an attempt to at least _kill_ the kids, and possibly his own Pokémon as well. He fled, but that was nothing.

The Electrode _listened_ to the suicidal order but Ash replied on his own.

Aura _exploded_ around him and a tail was formed almost instantly, this time much larger as he couldn't compress it all and he slammed the Electrode far, _far_ away into the sky, far past the Golbat and Crobat.

Being charged up, the Electrode couldn't help but simply use Explosion… and disappear in the show of fireworks.

But that leader wasn't getting off that easily. Ash slammed the tail into the floor and did it multiple times, as if hunting down the man and finally reached the bald leader.

A dangerous grin on his face. The face of a predator with glowing red eyes and a blue tail following him, almost as if a Pokémon was hunting for a new meal.

"You think you can escape? There are countless Golbat and Crobat here. You were about to run into Tyranitar too… A shame, would've wanted to see you cry like a little baby."

As if on cue, the Tyranitar walked up to them. Now, Caitlin and Entei also entered the fray and soon enough, all of the trainers pokémon surrounded the man.

"Ready to take a beating of a lifetime? We don't appreciate suicidal attacks. You killed your own Pokémon. A normal Electrode shouldn't use that much power in an Explosion which meant it was your trigger to get away. Those kinds of Electrode are only _bought_ on the black market as far as Professor Oak told me."

Caitlin gained a cold smile. "Perhaps Entei would like a taste?"

" _Bah. That disgusting heap of flesh isn't my taste, I prefer something juicier… Although, that belly should be pretty good if cooked well._ "

"Hmm. Tyranitar, hungry for flesh?" Brock asked his Tyranitar, who roared loudly and threateningly came closer.

It was all an act, but the beating was real.

 _Screams_ echoed throughout the night and the flying Golbat and Crobat _shuddered_ in bliss at seeing the man responsible for the loss of their children getting beaten up.

Children and Pokémon brutally beat up the leader of a gang. No remorse in the slightest. The… counted to be about 10 kicks in the nuts to at least make sure there'd be no future children by Caitlin were pretty much enough.

"Now.." Ash began as he wiped his forehead with a pleased smile.

Turning around, he found the Crobat looking very amused at seeing the leader turned into a lump of flesh and bruises.

The leader of the Crobat grinned brightly, as if justice had been dealt and christmas came early. " _This and what you had told me? Now that I can find interesting,_ " the Crobat chuckled.

Behind him were about 15 workers of the restaurant. About 9 of them were men but they were pretty beat up and six of the girls looked beat up as well, as well as having their clothes slightly torn.

Luckily, they didn't have the face of the broken. If that was true, Caitlin would've attempted to kill the man even if _Arceus herself_ would try to protect him.

Ash and Brock would follow up after that.

"Y-you helped us.. and s-saved us.. T-thank you so much," a young man, possibly the head of the restaurant kneeled down and pressed his forehead to the ground in complete gratitude.

Seeing that, Ash felt slightly sheepish and kneeled down to the young man and pat his shoulder. "Please, don't be like that. Can you call the league for us? I believe we need to release some of their Pokémon which had been practically forced to their teams."

The head of the restaurant had tears in his eyes as he nodded and rushed back. They couldn't call them before because there was a thug at _every_ telephone, but now they could finally do so! Finally, freedom!

Every worker cheered happily at finally being free, as if they had been saved from slavery.

"Now… Let's free the Zubat," Ash began and all the Golbat and Crobat roared in agreement. A _pillar_ of Pokéballs were seen, possibly because they illegally caught Pokémon as they each had _definitely_ more than the allowed standard six.

"Caitlin, please call Metang here… Some Meteor Mashing would be good stress relief for him and who knows? The amusement of knocking out evil Pokémon might fix his evolution," Ash joked with a grin.

Caitlin had a faint grin as well, all too eager to listen to that offer as Metang popped up with an agitated face.

Metang didn't have much of a job other than collect the Pokéballs… he wanted some action. Hearing the offer, the pseudo-legendary Pokémon couldn't help but agree with Ash's offer.

He damn well felt like he needed some stress relief. Especially after that month of grueling survival. That was something completely new to the Metang as it never had to battle against so many opponents in just a month.

Ash grinned and Metang charged a Meteor Mash. First Pokémon? Damn a Graveler… and there came the Meteor Mash. The Pokémon was sent flying right away and knocked out without any hesitation on Metang's part before Ash returned the Graveler and threw it into a heap he now called 'failed attempts'.

"Feelin' good?" He asked the Metang and the Pokémon around him shivered slightly. Ash can be pretty horrible when angered but Metang let out a cheerful cry before charging another Meteor Mash.

"Be careful. If you see a small figure of a Zubat appear, don't attack." Ash warned the Metang to be sure, even though he knew the Metang knew, but it was to be sure.

Seeing the need for confirmation, Metang nodded with his massive metal figure.

Another Pokéball popped open and revealed an Onix. By _golly_ was Metang happy to punch it straight to oblivion and see it returned.

* * *

Like this, around 400 Pokémon were instantly down for the count. At least six hundred Zubat were saved that day.

Honestly, they all carried 10 pokéballs or so with them. That's just _horrible_.

But the best thing?

Metang began to glow a fierce white colour and grew larger. The head gained a cross in front of it and four limbs extended from the body. While still levitating, the Pokémon roared and soon landed down with small cracks on the floor and revealed a pretty mean looking pseudo-legendary.

"Well what do you say? Stress relief helps a Pokémon evolve." Ash was _far_ too cheerful.

Caitlin beamed happily and hugged an arm of the newly evolved Metagross.

Brock chuckled slightly and noticed his Tyranitar look interested at the Metagross. Perhaps a little pseudo-legendary rivalry will help? Tyranitar will probably love it.

" _This… definitely feels different but a good different. I feel a lot calmer, maybe my agitation stopped my evolution process the entire time,_ " telepathy reached all minds and they heard the voice of a young man, not a mechanical one that most would assume. A metallic 'ross' came after. Ah, there's the voice they sought.

"Congrats. Now we've saved all the Pokémon and knocked out the grunts, let's enjoy some peace!" Ash cheered as parental Golbat and Crobat were crying with their children closeby. Obviously, all Zubat were released. They even spotted a couple of _shiny_ Zubat.

Were they anyone else, they would've attempted to capture the shiny ones. Oh well, they're good kids.

" _This… wasn't what I was expecting, but I'm satisfied. At least our eggs suffered for nothing now - the young ones returned._ " Crobat stared at the freed Zubat before looking at the three children that helped him out.

Yes, perhaps he may do so. He already knew who he was interested in to stay with.

" _Brock._ " Crobat called out and flew to the man. Seeing the need to be there, Meowth walked up to Brock with a grin of satisfaction. He got some good laughs here because there were quite a few Persian being hit around.

"He's callin' ya Brock," Meowth told the young breeder. The breeder turned to Crobat and tilted his head. "What's the matter, Crobat? Any wounded?"

Shaking his head, Crobat gave Brock a grin. " _I am interested in joining your team. Not only are you a medic, but you even asked for my poison in order to get antidotes for the future. Hence why I wish to come with you. I am interested in seeing the healing side of our world, not just the leading side. One of my two other leaders can take my task._ "

Meowth, whilst stunned at seeing a _leader_ of such a swarm submit to be captured, told Brock everything.

Ash smiled slightly. The first day that Brock asked for some poison, he literally scared the Crobat who began to look at him in a different light.

A positive one.

Ash noticed it before and so didn't mind at all. Brock just got a seventh member in his team and he smiled happily. "Why of course he'd like that! Right, Brock?" He asked his first traveling companion.

Brock blinked before giving Crobat the happiest smile the bat had ever seen. "Of course! You'd be such a great help, I noticed that the antidote made of your poison was _so_ much more effective than the ones you usually buy in stores!"

Crobat gave a small embarrassed blush, but his grin remained. " _Capture me then, my new trainer. I will be in your care from now on._ "

Brock happily pushed a Pokéball against the Crobat and captured the Poison/Flying pokémon. The two other leaders nodded at Brock in respect before turning to tell every single Crobat and Golbat the situation. It wouldn't do if they attacked their saviors right?

Like that, the entire cloud of Zubat, Golbat and Crobat flew down and rested on the floors, broken parts of bikes, trees and the building. Countless Pokémon surrounding them as if they could finally relax and they all just cheerfully spoke with each other.

Seeing such a strange sight made the workers of the restaurant actually stare, but for the other three they just enjoyed it.

Ash grinned widely. "Alright.. now that we're done surviving, I want to eat some proper human food."

His stomach _roared_ like a _Dragonite_. Caitlin broke out in a fit of giggles and Brock laughed so loud he might've just doubled over.

Pokémon around them laughed in amusement. That was definitely something everyone needed - a good laugh after such a troubling experience no matter how short.

No matter how many lives were saved just now.

"Do you guys have anything left?" Ash asked the workers of the restaurant and the workers grinned widely.

"We'll treat you to your hearts content, dear customers! Free of charge, I say. You've saved us all, not just the Pokémon. How does some barbeque sound? Nice, outdoors and some time with the Pokémon. We have a mass storage of Pokémon food as well, so we can probably feed all the Zubat. Golbats and Crobats might need to hunt a little though."

One of the leaders of the swarm nodded and called out to the Golbat and Crobat. Some parents stayed behind so their little ones can trust the humans and the workers rushed inside to get the equipment and food.

It was when the night passed by that they noticed it was already morning. They really slept in a bit there, but it was a good morning.

"I wonder when the league gets here," Ash mumbled, before he spotted so much _meat_ and _foooooooood_.

Rushing off without a care, he started to salivate to the many ingredients there. He was tempted to eat them even raw now but was dragged off by Caitlin before he could.

"Keep calm Ash. They'll cook for us," she had to put some effort into it because Ash didn't want to leave his food.

"Can't waaait.." Ash mumbled in a daze as Caitlin pretty much dragged him along.

Brock simply let out his newly caught Crobat to see the scene and both chuckled in amusement. Heck, all of them did. Even the Zubat seemed slightly more cheerful as they would get some food soon. Something they hadn't had properly since they were caught a while ago, the young ones were _hungry_.

And so began a feast. A feast filled with laughter, joy and tears of happiness. The wild Pokémon around them even came to confirm it and the mass amount of Golbat and Crobat explained the situation before apologizing.

It seems they understood as there were no fights, but some Pokémon remained there to see the scene of happiness. It's not every day you see such a thing and even the head of the restaurant laughed cheerfully as he held a stick with meat in his hands.

Without anyone noticing, at least he thought so, he quickly fed a nearby wild Growlithe, probably because it whined a little at wanting to taste the meat.

The ones who saw it chuckled in amusement. Puppies got their priorities alright. The man will most likely end up with a Growlithe in his restaurant if the happy barks were a sign.

It seems the man realized that as well and he laughed, sitting down on one of the chairs as Growlithe sat down next to him, resting his head on the man's lap.

Yes, this was definitely something interesting. Wild Pokémon, countless of them, were around humans willingly. It seems the feast became exaggerated as wild Pokémon were being fed as well and some of them asked for a little Pokéchow from the bat Pokémon as they were interested in the trying the taste of food made by humans.

That was the scene the league arrived at. Heck, Lance was there. _Lance_. The damn champion. Why was he there? The Cycling Road was a very important project of Kanto and something this big happened here. Of course he'd come!

But then he spotted Ash surrounded by wild Pokémon and the _countless_ Zubat, Golbat and Crobat.

… Shaking his head, Lance let out a sigh before telling most of the men to come with him for some food. The job could wait a bit if the bubble of psychic energy that was floating above them filled with thugs were a sign.

It seems that the psychic Pokémon were just doing it for fun and teasing as Zubats began to annoy the men, but they couldn't do a thing. Slapping with wings, giving bites of annoyance and revenge, all kinds of small things were done but nothing dangerous for their health.

After all, they promised their parents.

"Ash… I shouldn't be surprised. I hear something big happened on a recently completed, big project of Kanto and you're there," Lance's voice reached Ash's ears as he turned around curiously.

"Oh hey Lance. Yeah, we had to survive in the wild for a good month because the Crobat were chased off… if you want the real story, ask Gardevoir for some memory sharing. I heard Gardevoir could do that," he pointed at the Gardevoir and Lance simply shrugged.

Yes, memory sharing was _extremely_ tough for psychic types and _extremely_ dangerous. But if Ash tells him that, he'd believe the boy. After all, this boy never lied to him. Never.

"I see. Care to have some more customers?" Lance asked the head of the restaurant who just happily smiled as he was currently licked by a group of wild Growlithe and a nuzzling of a wild Ponyta. It seems the man was well liked.

"Hahaha! Of course, of course! Friends of those three are welcome anytime. Feel free to grab a bite."

Seeing the man agree, Lance went ahead to do so and joined the group for a meal where they began to share the story as well as what Lance had been doing.

Apparently the league stopped the attempt for the master ball without any problems. Attacks on gyms were later on solved as well when Sabrina read their memories and shared more attack information to Lance.

Heck, Lance was pretty sure Giovanni was the leader of Team Rocket but there was no clear evidence _yet_.

Like that, the man had a nice break from his job for once in a good month. Nice laughs, interesting topics, new move combinations. They all shared interesting things with the champion. Even the men and trainers of the league were relaxing with the group and some just fed the wild Pokémon some food they cared. Heck, some even asked a few Golbat and Crobat that weren't with any Zubats if they wished to join them.

Having a Poison type with you is always reliable. Seeing a chance here to get a tough one, some couldn't resist. Naturally, the Crobat leaders didn't mind and told the group if they wished to, they could.

So some Golbat and Crobat got new trainers and would be trained for new adventures.

Like this, the entire day was spent. A little day off, some minor training for not just the teams of the trainers but even the _wild_ pokémon - something which both Ash and Lance recorded - trained with them. All kinds of moves, learning new ones, mastering aerial combat, a Dodrio using tri attack. All kinds of things were done and to be honest, it was a very interesting sight. The evidence of abuse on the workers were taken photographs of, they were interviewed and camera recordings for evidence were shown.

Lance _complimented_ the children for their actions. He asked Ash about that blue tail but the trainer shrugged and told him of aura.

Now Lance is not just a simple man. He grew up in Blackthorn City, the city that worshipped _dragons_. He knew of the legends of the Chosen One and it was obvious that Ash was this particular person.

Smirking in slight amusement, he rose an eyebrow. Perhaps a temperamental baby dragon will let the boy grow up? Well, he'll wait for it until he's fourteen.

"Ash," Lance began as he asked the boy the next morning, just before departing to the league with the captured thugs and the leader. No league member commented on the leader's body being mangled and such as they believed he deserved it, despite children doing this.

"Yeah, what's up Lance?" Ash turned around completely refreshed. It appears the restaurant had some rooms that could be used in times of need so they finally had some good rest in a bed. Caitlin practically _moaned_ for an hour in a bath because she enjoyed it just _that_ much.

"I have an offer. How about, if you start Johto which you'll no doubt do when you turn fourteen or so, I give you an egg." Ash rose an eyebrow in interest.

"An egg huh? Interesting as I've never taken care of many eggs in the past. I assume, because you're a dragon trainer, it will be a dragon type Pokémon?" Ash asked for confirmation. It seems the boy was smart, but Lance already knew that.

"Yes. What Pokémon, I will not tell you. I want that to be a learning experience for you, _Chosen One_." Lance teased with a wink and Ash groaned with a hand smacking his forehead.

Seeing that, Lance laughed loudly in complete amusement. It seems the boy knew of his own legend as well!

"But really, Ash, I believe that that Pokémon will be a great experience for you. I'll request the egg for you in a year's time, which you'll probably be for in the Orange Islands. When you reach Johto, contact me and I'll deliver the egg personally. It will be a good surprise for you, that I promise."

Ash chuckled a little. "Yeah, baby dragons. They just _love_ biting, don't they?"

Lance chuckled a little. "Damn straight. You have no idea how many baby dragons _ate_ my capes."

Ash smirked in slight amusement. "Oh? The video that Clair made and sent to Professor Oak with the dragons eating your cape and your _closet_ full of them wasn't photoshopped?"

Lance froze before turning to Ash mechanically. "Who knows?"

"..Mom, Professor Oak, Leaf, Gary, I and a _lot_ of Pokémon in the ranch who were curious about dragon babies. Oak's Dragonite especially loved it."

Lance let out a small sigh of relief. "At least it's not- wait Delia knows?! NOOO!" Lance shouted in despair at showing such an embarrassing side to his not-so-secret crush.

Ash laughed loudly at seeing this, Pikachu doing so with him after the yellow mouse got next to the group with a hotdog that was practically made of ketchup.

"Geez… I'll have a tougher time flirting. Hope she doesn't mind…" Lance scratched the side of his cheek as Ash just smiled a little.

"She thought of it as cute, such a small obsession. Seeing you take care of those little baby Dratini was adorable according to her as well."

Lance smiled brightly after hearing that. When he got back later that day, the league just saw him smile the entire damn time.

"Then I'll see you maybe next time Ash. For the trouble you three and the restaurant have experienced, the league will pay a _lot_ to make sure it wasn't for nothing. Believe me because I'll make sure they will."

It definitely wasn't because Ash shared that news with him.

It definitely wasn't because Lance got to hang out with a Legendary Pokémon called Entei either. An Entei that was amused to see a champion act like a kid in front of him and obviously asking for a battle. That battle was a pretty good one for the Entei, but it won against Lance's Charizard in the end.

Another interesting battle was the battle of Tyranitar and Metagross, both pseudo-legendaries being interested to test their strength against each other. Caitlin simply smiled and let Metagross do what he wished as she knew the Metagross was eager to improve now. Brock simply laughed in amusement and let Tyranitar do his thing. Ever since he evolved, the Tyranitar just loved to battle but it was done with a good heart and the intention to get stronger.

Heck, Tyranitar became good friends with Golett thanks to their occasional battle.

It eventually ended with Tyranitar's win thanks to a well placed Dark Pulse, but the pseudo-legendary fell down not much time after winning in a loss of consciousness. It seems that Metagross was a strong one. The fact that steel type was super effective against rock also mattered.

Lance enjoyed that as well as he doesn't get to see pseudo-legendaries battle often. Heck, he called out his team just to watch it. An Aerodactyl, two Dragonite, a Charizard, two shiny Gyarados (who instantly went to Ash and gave him a lick of affection), two Dragonair and the odd Goodra which was most likely a new addition to Lance's team.

He could carry unlimited amount of Pokémon with him, so why not?

A good day, but time to back to work. Saying his goodbyes to the rest, Lance left with the rest of the league. It was soon after that the two leaders of the Crobat swarm told the group they will now depart to another area. Some wished to stay, but the main group would leave. They wanted to go to a new area and care for the young Zubat.

It didn't take long before only around 50 Golbat, 20 Crobat and about 4 Zubat were left behind. Wild Pokémon simply watched the departing of so many bat Pokémon and walked to the ones that stayed, telling them of places to rest and find food. After all, they will now stay so why not make friends?

The owner of the restaurant ended up capturing three Growlithe and a Ponyta. He was pretty much _adored_ by them.

Now they were fully rested, Ash decided to rush to Fuschia. They spent enough time here on the cycling road. It was eventful, they trained enough. It was time to reach the next gym and obtain the badge.

Gary, no doubt, already beat Fuschia by now. Ash read in between their messaging each other that Gary already had seven badges. One being from a rarely visited gym.

It's time to go further. He had to get stronger. He also promised Leaf to be at the Safari Zone… in a month's time. With Gary.

A small reunion to help her out, not bad right?

Calling out Talonflame, he watched Brock and Caitlin come towards him and his Pokémon.

"We're leaving?" Brock asked with a smile as Ash nodded and Caitlin stretched her arms in satisfaction.

"I'm ready, Ash. Let's go before something else happens…" Caitlin groaned. She didn't want to spend _another_ month in the wild.

"Makes me wonder why we didn't do this earlier," Brock commented.

Ash shrugged. "Try escaping from thousands of bats while stuck on a single flying object with an extremely high chance of falling off."

Brock grimaced. "Point made. That'd be pretty painful."

Crobat came out of his Pokéball, seemingly too used to staying out. " _Yaaw.. That was a good sleep. Huh, it's light.._ " Crobat looked around in interest just to see Ash snickering and Brock having an anime-like sweatdrop.

"Right… You know that usually, a Pokémon is unable to leave their pokéball right? Just… Just don't teach that to any of my larger Pokémon." Brock at least _tried_ to reason with it. If Tyranitar learnt it.. Oh dear.

" _Hahaha! Sure, Brock!_ " Crobat's laughing seemed to do the trick and the nod reassured the breeder.

"We're about to go to Fuschia City by flight. Care to fly along, or just relax? Ash's Talonflame is extremely fast."

" _I'll relax and converse with you, if you don't mind translating this for me, Ash._ "

Ash simply shrugged, not minding a conversation between trainer and Pokémon. They were his friends so why not? If he had to do this all the time he'd grow insane but he got used to doing so with Brock anyway. Brock also helped him a lot so.

"Sure. I'll translate for you, Brock. Let's get going though."

Ash grinned and jumped on top of his partner, petting Falcon's head and offering a thanks before throwing a small pokéblock into his beak. Some tomato and oran berries. A mixture of sweet 'n spicy. Just what the Talonflame liked before a nice, long flight.

"At least help a lady, Ash." Caitlin pouted as Ash quickly leaned down and held a hand out, smoothly pulling her up with surprising strength for a child. Brock simply chuckled and was carried up by his large Crobat.

"Well then, off we go. Better get hasty because I'm falling behind… I want to train hard y'know."

It was a good thing Ash didn't look behind him. Falcon was staring wide eyed as he looked down to see the figure of a Mew, who in turn playfully waved up. If any others saw Mew, they'd probably be shocked too… at least the Talonflame remembered to keep flying.

And thus, the Cycling Road was finished. Not by normal means, but it was something the trainers needed.

The need to survive and live off of the wild. The actual fishing for survival. The fights to keep their territory. The strategies against masses and so much more. One thing was certain in their minds though.

 _Arceus bless status effects._

* * *

 **Phew. 40 plus pages in my Google Doc. That's a good time to stop. I hope this chapter makes up for the wait!**

 **Did anyone like my new approach? Feel free to review about it! I'd love to hear the positives and negatives.**

 **Just like now, I intend to do _some_ things different. For one, this chapter mentioned that the Orange Islands will be done differently. Yes, the challenges were interesting but honestly the only real challenge was the final.**

 **I need some spice. I need some oomph. I need an interesting travel with development! This Orange Island journey will be completely different from the others!**

 **I will not spoil though. No, not at all. You readers will have to endure the wait, the torture and perhaps the horrible upcoming attempt at doing something different!**

 **Also… Ash has a new aura ability. A tail? Maybe. I think of it more as a Tokyo Ghoul thing like with Kaneki Ken. It's still unstable in form as aura leaks from it, compression needs effort and such but it is an interesting approach. I have received a PM talking about using aura as a sword and while I agree with this, giving a boy a sword this early on as well as showing that he uses such lethal weapons might not be a good thing.**

 **Nevertheless, this happened. A different approach yet again.**

 **Maybe I shouldn't have watched Tokyo Ghoul…**

 **Next chapter: The road of the Safari! ( For despite the other pretty cool events, the Safari will be something interesting! This chapter hinted enough. )**

 **Hope you guys liked it! Read, love it or hate it, review 'n follow if you wish!**


	12. Road of the Safari

**Ladies and gentlemen,**

 **As to ask for forgiveness, I have written this chapter for you all for the weeks you had to wait (if you actually waited, haha). The biggest chapter I've written so far which is pretty much three things; Koga, Laramie 'n Safari with an event.**

 **I've written it as good as I can. I swear that I've had no rest and wrote for hours without rest so you guys better like it. Nah, just kidding. Honest reviews will be appreciated!**

 **Talking about reviews! Fossil votes are added! Currently, the two at the top are Tirtouga (you, who voted, made a fair comment about the lack of Unovan Pokémon) with three votes and Tyrunt (for the completion of the Kalos Fossils) with two!**

 **Brock might capture more but they'll be at the Gym and/or will only be seen in future regions if he wants to switch. Naturally, I may let others go for an attempt to capture fossil Pokémon. Leaf is a collector to help with research and Gary will be a professor in the future. Fossil Pokémon are a great thing to study, are they not?**

 **Relationships… Eh, Clair is at the top really. But that relationship is based on Johto where she may join them on a small leave to gain experience as a trainer. Daisy Oak is pretty damn close here too. Any good reasons to make a different couple are appreciated ladies and gentlemen. There's _enough_ time until Johto, haha. **

**Now a little Q 'n A! I've seen some interesting reviews and you've made fair points. I've noted some things too, but this chapter actually covered the question about the previously caught Zubat in Mt. Moon (and if you ask me, I completely forgot… hahaha).**

 **Q: Talonflame's gift made from the nuggets that he had brought whenever they were found. When will he give this and what will it be?  
A: Well. Multiple things can be made; armor with a gilded tint or perhaps a saddle. I'm leaning to saddle. They enjoy flying on top of Talonflame after all and a saddle makes it that much easier.**

 **Q: Is the aura tail from the Naruto Series?  
A: No, no it's not. Actually, it might be a little similar but it's more based on Tokyo Ghoul where they can control it more than in the Naruto series. **

**Q: Will he capture Crystal Onix in the Orange Islands?  
A: To spoil or not to spoil. That is the question a writer must ask himself. I won't spoil it for now, but it's a food for thought. I've still got options to be caught. Why don't more people suggest a Pokémon that Ash should capture in the Orange Islands? The talk with Entei has also shown that Ash (and by ergo I) may let himself capture more than six Pokémon per region if the Pokémon truly wishes to join. **

**Q: Will we see Ash as a gentleman now thanks to Caitlin?  
A: It's gradually happening now. In the future she'll focus more on reforming the boy into the gentleman that can many any woman swoon.**

 **Q: Will Giovanni be caught at the gym alongside Project M2?  
A: Mmm. Tough choice here, reviewer. I don't think so, at least, Ash wouldn't be able to beat a Mewtwo there if he also has to focus on Giovanni. He might be the chosen but Giovanni isn't one to mess with. I might make it a movie and go for a different battle against Mewtwo. After all, he can tag alongside Gary and Leaf as they might get chosen by Mewtwo due to their Kanto starters.**

 **Q: Do you base Greninja on Smash / Pokken Tournament?**  
 **A: Yes/no/maybe? To be honest, I thought about taijutsu and Greninja's Protean. In a fanfic such as this, why not make use of that potential? It's only ironic that Smash and Pokken are also based on this. Just for you, I'll mention that close combat battle styles will be made for each Pokémon. Even Pikachu will develop one in the future.**

 **Q: What will you do for the Orange Island arcs?  
A: Why that is for me to know and for you to find out. I will mention this; the entire Orange Islands arc will be 12 chapters. 12 chapters which will form a year. Within this year Ash's journey will be seen throughout the islands. I've already mentioned _one_ idea in this chapter. You can think of other things. PM me if you have any good ideas as I can learn from them as well. I'm still thinking of multiple ideas. It won't be a one piece thing though as they'll make sure to let Falcon/Talonflame scout for islands. **

**Now that Q'nA is over… Yes, deaths were mentioned in the former chapter. One must know that it's not all that sweet. Yes, battles and such won't contain blood/gore/carnivorous scenes but outside of that things will be mentioned. I mean… Ash, in the anime, was planning to eat that cooked Magikarp was he not? Pokémon are like animals there. I intend to keep it more on the background as it's still a Pokémon story but it has to be mentioned at least once. They, three children, had to survive for a month and only eating berries and wild plants and such lets them go so far.**

 **The shipping of Ash and Caitlin. Food for thought. Ash is still too young; it's a thing for Unova definitely. Ash will mature, fill up and become much more attractive and the lessons to be a gentleman would be ingrained into him thanks to Caitlin's past efforts.**

 **She's pretty much turning him into her own fantasy of what a man should be, is she not? Also the aura, the warmth, the sleepy cuddles. Caitlin + Love for sleep + Ash pillow = Love.**

 **It's a very possible relationship! I won't let Ash only get a single crush and focus on that for the entire story though. By the time he's arrived in Hoenn, he'll have _some_ experience with girls.**

 **Anyway, I've babbled enough. Enjoy this chapter of .. Google Doc tells me 56 pages. One day of writing can do that. Have fun, readers!**

* * *

Let it be known that it is amazing to fly with one of your Pokémon. Anyone who says differently will feel Ash's wrath right away.

The group of trainers were sitting on the back of a giant Talonflame, Ash's Falcon, and enjoying the sights. The sun that was in the sky was gradually falling and showing that they've been flying at a leisure pace, as the night was already arriving.

A beautiful red glow came upon the horizon and the trainers could only stare in awe at the beauty of nature; the beauty that Arceus had created by giving a part of its own life to the world.

"It really is a beautiful sight, watching the sun go down while flying," Caitlin whispered out in awe. The other two trainers remained silent in agreement as they could only watch.

"Nature is amazing," Ash began as he looked upwards to the sky, the stars gradually becoming more visible to him. "It's a shame not many take their time to watch it. It's why I plan to go to the Orange Islands."

Brock turned to Ash curiously, "Why would you go to the Islands for that?"

Ash smiled a little.

"Countless islands are in that area. Many remain uncivilized, full of nature and Pokémon that many wouldn't see. Many islands that are a secret hideout for ace trainers that place a claim in a small part. Actually, it's a fact that the islands can be 'owned' by the one that finds it. That's why I wish to go there as well," Ash began to explain before showing Brock a grin. "A place you can call home with nature right next to you. Live in harmony with the wild Pokémon there. That's one of the things I wish to have when I want a house to live in. Having one there would be amazing, would it not? Imagine the beautiful sunshine, the great beaches, the scent of the trees after a rainy day and the Pokémon simply staying with you whether they are caught or wild."

Brock gave a hum of agreement. "That's a very nice idea, Ash. Perhaps we three can create our place there. A place where only we, and our friends, can stay when visiting the islands. Perhaps, in the future, let our Pokémon stay there as well."

Caitlin giggled silently, "I have a mansion in Unova, at Undella Town. I must agree that it intrigues me to have a place like that. The beautiful beach in Undella Town isn't one to scoff at, but for some reason I believe that Ash's would top even that."

Ash chuckled silently, "Of course! There's no humans, nobody who can taint the waters and the beach. It's purely for yourself, a place of rest."

Caitlin gave a small nod of agreement. "Yes, that is true. I believe if we find such a place I'll help out building a place to rest. What about electricity and the likes though?"

Ash gave Caitlin a faint grin. "Nature. Pokémon. Pikachu can recharge the appliances if we have portable ones or at least ones that can be charged. Torches can be placed on the beach, candles can be placed within the building. Is that not the beauty of nature and what the Pokémon can do? Perhaps if we meet fire types such as a Rapidash there'd be more light. I've heard that some fire types can create flames that do not burn, such as the previously mentioned Rapidash. Their natural flames do not actually burn grass, but if they will it to, it will."

Brock began laughing out loud. "Amazing! We'll see what happens if we get there! For now, let's get ready. I can see Fuschia City."

Ash and Caitlin nodded. Pikachu, who remained silent during the day and Crobat who was listening with rapt attention let out small cries of joy. " _Gotta love the idea though!_ " Crobat called out later.

Pikachu pouted just a little. " _I feel like a battery._ "

"Oh shut it Pikachu, it's a small effort for the luxury you too will have."

" _Meh. Still feel like a battery._ "

* * *

A good night they spent resting for once. A month long they've been training harshly and their bodies needed a good nights rest and some good old television and music. They kept all of their Pokémon outside of their Pokéballs for the day, letting other - newer - trainers see what they can expect in the future.

The ones that attracted the most people would be the Pokémon they don't see in Kanto. Well, don't see often or extremely rare.. or they're just so stupid they can't see the difference, but that's a different kind of thought.

Still, they did attract attention and some younger children had to stare up at the Tyranitar in awe. Seeing that, the Tyranitar decided to amuse the children and pick them up, letting them sit on either his head or his shoulders.

Some others decided to play with the smaller Pokémon; Ninetales, Roserade, Pikachu and Meowth were just playing around with some younger kids and decided to let them do some small mock battles against each other.

More experienced trainers decided to study the new Pokémon they see. A Shiny Aurorus, Pseudo-Legendaries, huge Pokémon that are far beyond the norm. They even sat down with the trio and asked what they were and what they do to make them look so amazing.

Naturally, the trainers just gave tips. They wouldn't tell everything as that'd just be a bad idea. They shared some training ideas, kinds of food that Pokémon loved and the idea to talk more to your Pokémon in order to bond. Let them out of their Pokéball.

Hearing such things, it didn't take long before the entire area around the Pokémon Center was filled with Pokémon. The entire night, people just talked with their Pokémon, a show of bonding and preciousness that only Pokémon and trainer can share.

It actually warmed Ash's heart to see that there's good after seeing such evil acts of men.

But the night eventually become too dark and people needed rest. They ate, slept, bathed and got ready for the next morning with Ash and Brock wearing the same outfits as always.

Caitlin, today, decided to go for a sports like wear. A pair of jogging pants and a large, oversized pink shirt with the figure of a Munna on the back. Her ribbons like usual were in place as she stepped up to them wearing some sport shoes.

"You're motivated," Ash commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course! We're going to the Laramie Ranch after this like you promised last night. I've always wanted to ride on a Ponyta or Rapidash," Caitlin grinned. "I've only ridden them in the past in order to practice Pokémon Riding."

Ash nodded with a smile. "That's amazing alright. I've ridden various Pokémon in the past; Dodrio, Rapidash, Arcanine, Gogoat. All kinds of Pokémon that come to Oak's Ranch. I've always made good friends with them and they offered the idea to my friends and I."

Brock gave Ash a grin, "Let me go with you next time. I'm curious as to how it feels to ride on top of a Pokémon made for such things. I've only ever ridden on a Rhyhorn for their races but they are a lot slower compared to Rapidash and the kind."

"Sure Brock. I'd love to, but let's get going to the Gym! I can't wait to challenge Koga. I heard of his skill and I wish to see if I can beat him as I am. He's an elite four prospect according to Professor Oak and I wouldn't be surprised if he became one in the future."

"Hoo.. Now I look forward to it," Caitlin grinned widely. For once, she had a childish streak. After all, her dream is to become an elite four member.

"No time to waste then. Come on guys, I know the way," Brock lead the group this time. For their trip they let out the standard Pokémon; Espeon, Pikachu, Meowth and Ninetales. Perhaps because they are used to keeping these out of their Pokéball by now and because they're smaller compared to some others in their team. Greninja would be Ash's trump card against Koga due to his protean ability. After all, Poison doesn't affect Poison. Heh, he'd show Koga.

* * *

"Hmm… This is the gym?" Ash asked to be sure. They were standing in front of a building that _screamed_ 'I am filled with traps, do avoid!'.

"Yeah… Kinda obvious too."

"Damn ninjas," Ash nodded as he spotted a Venonat coming up to them. Probably the one that greets them in order to bait them into the building.

" _Please come with me, foolish challengers. Our leader will defeat you like the others,_ " the Venonat spoke and walked ahead.

"Foolish challengers huh?" Ash grunted as the Venonat tensed. Yep. She messed up.

Trying to act as if nothing happened, the Venonat began to walk inside of the building and avoided the traps that were placed. Sadly for the Venonat, Ash wasn't dumb.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail on that wire." Pikachu nodded and used a weak Iron Tail to cut the wire that was placed in order to trip people and Ash walked ahead carefully.

His eyes gradually began to glow red as he was searching around intensely. He spotted everything; walls that can be turned around, tiles that were replaced and filled with triggers for traps and he could even see a faint figure waiting on top of the ceiling. Perhaps for an assault.

"Follow me, guys," Ash turned around to look over his shoulder at Brock and Caitlin. Both trusted Ash so they simply followed his steps and warnings. Like this, they avoided all of the traps and when throwing stars were thrown at the group Ash moved with swiftness one wouldn't expect of a 12 year old.

Grabbing the blunt stars in between his fingers as if it's a casual thing, the flung them straight towards the figure that was hiding in the shadows. Sensing the danger, the figure moved but Ash was ahead of it.

"Thunder wave!" He ordered right away from his Pikachu and the Pikachu obeyed, firing a thunder wave at the shadowed figure to prevent its escape. Sadly for the figure, she's a human. Humans can't move fast enough to dodge such a quick response.

It ended up with a woman that had green hair and wore a ninja outfit falling down on the floor with electric shocks around her body, completely immobile. Definitely earned it in Ash's honest opinion as he stared down at the figure.

"What reason did you have to attack us, Ninja?" He spoke out as he stared at the figure. It's a bad idea for her to try it against him, after all… Greninja was much, much sneakier than that woman thanks to his natural abilities as a ninja.

"G-greetings Challenger… I… was supposed to t-test you but it appears you are prepared… Ugh," Aya was unconscious right away and Ash rose an eyebrow.

Ninja's didn't train on their pain resistance? Damn. Pikachu shocked him a couple of times much worse and even when he didn't reinforce himself with aura, that didn't do much.

"Dear aunt!" A younger voice was heard as another figure jumped down the ceiling. This one much younger and having her lower face covered by a mask. As a security measure thanks to the survival month, Ash made another 'tail' appear from his back and a blue glowing object was in between his group and the ninja as a wall of defense.

It obviously shocked the girl but that's also when they heard a speaker shout out 'STOP!' which was obviously Koga.

Yes, it seems Ash passed the ninja test with flying colours and showed something that made even Koga alert. It seems he knew of aura, but not this.

'Bring them in, Janine. Aya will be fine.' the speaker spoke out as the little girl glowered silently. They hurt her aunt yet her father let them in?! How dare they?! She clicked her tongue and listened to her father by walking ahead of them and pressing a button meant to disable the traps and opened the door towards the battle area.

When they entered, it looked like a dojo. The floor was wooden, around them hung some ninja equipment and even katanas. Ash was surprised at the sight but the blue limb still remained around his group as a means of protection from all sides.

"At ease. I will not attack your friends," A mature voice reached them as a shadow appeared. This one, much like his Greninja, was without Ash sensing him and it made the trainer blink before his maroon eyes began to glow a fierce red.

"Trust the words of a ninja?" He asked in disbelief.

Koga began laughing out loud. This kid sure had some good sense! Really, he wouldn't but that reply was something he needed to live in the real world alright.

"Yes. I promise as the Gym Leader of Fuschia City that I will not harm your friends."

".. I see. Then it's fine." The blue glow slowly disappeared, returning into Ash's body as he didn't want to _waste_ aura. Besides, whoever told someone you can't reabsorb the aura you use like that?

"You have a good mind, young trainer. May I assume that you are the one known as Ash Ketchum? Lance of Blackthorn has warned me of you," Koga spoke with a fierce expression. This man was definitely an elite four member if his presence said anything. The man was powerful, dangerous just like his favored poison-types.

"Yes, I am. I assume Lance requested a harder challenge?" Ash grinned slightly at Koga, who began to chuckle.

"Yes. I am to use my eight badge team. Honestly, it shocked me that you need such a team but… I can see it. You are a trainer that is meant to reach the top. I will make sure that you either fall here or reach it," Koga chuckled as he began to walk to the opposite side of the field.

"I see.. What kind of battle will we have, leader of Fuschia?" Ash spoke with some respect and a hint of a smile. This gym leader was someone he could respect. Finally someone who isn't cocky, someone who will grant a challenge like Brock had done. Finally a man that'll force him to get even better.

"Four against four. I know you have at least six, however, my gym focuses more on quality than quantity. Naturally, you may switch whereas I can't," Koga explained as he looked to the right. Janine came to judge, it seems as she stood against the wall holding two flags.

She let out an agitated sigh before starting the battle.

 **"This is a battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town against Gym Leader Koga of Fuschia City. Let the battle begin!"** She called out in a harsh voice, obviously showing she was at least professional.

"Come forth, Venomoth," Koga called out his starting Pokémon. A poison/bug type pokémon appeared out of its pokéball, revealing to Ash that this is definitely an eight badge Pokémon if the small scars and power of its body was any sign.

"I'll start with…" Ash thought about it before smiling slightly, "Meowth."

He didn't even have to say anything else as Meowth came out of the pokéball on his own. His cherish balls worked on voice if he wished to, but a quick pulse of aura made the orb open as well.

Meowth stood there with sharp attention, glaring at the Venomoth. This was his first real challenge and he wouldn't disappoint Ash!

"Start off with Quiver Dance and follow up with Poison Powder. Make sure to tire that Meowth," Koga ordered and the Venomoth began to dance in a pattern many would mistake for elegance, but Ash knew. This was a fierce dance. Poisonous power was sent at the Meowth's direction but Ash smiled slightly.

"Disappear and hit," he ordered and the Meowth instantly faded away. A ghost-like figure was there before it completely faded away and while the Venomoth was using Quiver Dance, Meowth appeared behind it in complete silence. Perhaps only Koga noticed as his eyes gained an approving glint, but he wasn't going down so easily.

"Gust and defend yourself," Venomoth turned around as his wings began to gain a metallic glint. Sadly for him, Ash was also someone who wouldn't stop so easily. "Water Pulse while you're being blown back!"

Meowth charged a big orb of water and it gained a ring around it before firing it at the focused Venomoth that fired a Gust. The power of the orb easily went through the weaker move and Meowth began to use Nasty Plot while the Venomoth was distracted and hit by the Water Pulse.

Ash didn't have to order everything. He knew that he had to boost himself to win. Claws soon came out and they began to glow a red, showing that he was using Hone Claws and a darker aura around him showed that he was going for Nasty Plot as well.

"Impressive tactic," Koga nodded as he looked at his Venomoth. He did smirk a bit, "It did appear you forgot that the powder was still in the room though."

Ash blinked as he noticed that Meowth was now breathing purple powder and definitely got poisoned. His eye twitched, it seems that he was used to open fields. Being inside, it wouldn't get blown away but instead get spread again.

"Seems like we don't have much time, Meowth. I know you have the endurance to endure the pain and keep going, I trust you," Ash smiled and the Meowth instantly stood straighter. The belief of a trainer in a Pokémon was something many underestimated, Meowth was now completely in trance of battle thanks to the trust of his trainer.

"Indeed, a good challenger. You didn't give up, your Pokémon is fierce despite being poisoned and gradually losing strength," Koga nodded as he started the battle again. "Zen headbutt!"

Venomoth gained a purple glow on its head as it flew towards the Meowth in a high speed, but Ash gained a small smirk.

"Leave some coins behind and double team. Show him the use of a unique battle style," Meowth grinned widely as he was now allowed to use his favored way to battle. _Sneaky_ and _Dirty_.

One Meowth became twelve Meowth, each figure dropping glowing white Pay Day coins onto the ground. Since Venomoth had to come so close, Meowth gained a predatory glint in his eyes.

' _Hmm? What is this young man planning?_ ' Koga studied the Pokémon with a sharp eye before he noticed the Pay Day glowing even fiercer. His eyes widened and he wanted to call out but it was too late.

 **BOOOOOM!**

Now before, it was just a small explosion. Now, Meowth boosted himself… You don't underestimate a Pokémon that can use Nasty Plot. Especially one that can use his very own signature move and _improve_ it thanks to some comments of Ash.

A massive explosion happened the instant Venomoth was above the coins. Naturally, Meowth already escaped as the Venomoth only focused on a single target as the coins in front of that one glowed fiercer than the others but that also made it lower its guard.

A loud slam was heard as the Venomoth hit the ceiling and fell onto the ground. Despite being an eight badge Pokémon, Koga's pokémon's defense couldn't beat such a bomb. It was a very impressive tactic and Koga returned the Venomoth with a small smile.

"A very good tactic. A unique way to use Pay Day. Was that a mixture of Pay Day and Selfdestruct?" He asked the young trainer. A man can't stop improving after all and this had _interesting_ applications. He was wondering why others never thought of using it in such a way and as a ninja, this was a _perfect_ move for him.

Ash nodded with a smile. "Overcharge a Pay Day with energy. Create a shell around it that only holds out for a little while and you have _explosive_ coins. Hence the name; Coin Bomb. It took a while but with the use of Nasty Plot, Meowth is a _lot_ stronger with it."

Koga nodded in respect to the young trainer and his Meowth. "Very impressive. I will see if I can learn it with my Pokémon as well, it's a very good way to use such a move."

He grabbed a second Pokéball and out of it came a _massive_ Muk. The stench alone made Meowth want to give in… but he wouldn't disappoint Ash!

Ignoring the scent, the Meowth was ready for battle and Koga gained a small grin. Yes, this was indeed a good challenger. If he made it to the elite four, he could use his real team… He'll look forward to battling this trainer again in the future.

"Muk! Sludge Bomb!" He started off right away. Might as well start the powerhouse battle.

Meowth moved instantly. He quickly began to run around to dodge the _massive_ orbs of pure poison. If he gets hit by just one, he'll be down for the count… in situations such as this, it's time to gamble.

Throwing multiple Coin Bombs that will most likely not deal massive damage on a tank such as Muk - which later proved to be right - he used it as a distraction and began to use Assist.

And consider this Meowth's luck. Taking a deep breath, Meowth soon fired a flamethrower that would make Falcon proud. Definitely his flamethrower.

The Muk seemed surprised before using protect. Flamethrower might not be supereffective on his type, but he would definitely get burnt thanks to his body being made of pure poison that can be lit up.

Koga nodded before ordering the next move, "Disable," Meowth could _feel_ that his Assist move had been locked away and he stopped moving just for a bit. "Screech!"

A horrible, _horrible_ sound was heard as the Meowth screamed in pain. He had sensitive hearing, but this also blocked out Ash's voice. Disorientated from the sound, he tried to look again but noticed a wall or purple.

 _Damn… He at least got a single Pokémon though._

Muk slammed the Meowth away with Pound and Meowth gave in. Poisoned and weakened with a massive pound did the trick on the Cat Pokémon and Ash quickly ran up to Meowth with an antidote that Brock had made.

Koga noticed it too and seemed to have taken a shine in his eyes, "Self made antidote? May I ask who of you did that?"

"I did," Brock spoke out with a small smile. "I used my recent Crobat's poison to create antidotes. His poison is extremely toxic, but it also makes an antidote that much better."

Koga nodded. "If we finish this battle, feel free to stay for a while. I'd love to hear more as the usage of a Crobat's poison like that is new to even I. I know of poisoning weapons, but that antidote is of extremely high quality."

Caitlin giggled a little. "Typical. We, however, will go to Laramie Ranch later this day and attend the race to see how it will go. After that we have some time to return here, if you do not mind."

Koga blinked a few times. "Oh? The race is that soon? Perhaps I should watch, it always excites me to see such an impressive race. The Laramie Ponyta and Rapidash are extremely fast."

Ash finished treating the Meowth before using his bastardized Heal Pulse to heal the small wounds and the bruise from the Pound. Seeing that Meowth was alright but still unconscious, he returned the Cat Pokémon and walked back to his station.

"Yes. I will go there for a little and then return to Fuschia. I may go to the protected areas to research the Kangaskhan a little as I'm interested in such a rare Pokémon. Oak's Ranch never had many of them, perhaps one or two but they're often away. After that, I will go to the Safari Zone."

Ash calmly explained the situation to Koga who simply smiled. "You plan out well. Indeed, the Kangaskhan are recently nearby in our safe zones. I will request if you can go there without any ill intentions. After all, Lance trusts you and hearing your words, Samuel Oak does as well."

Smiling slightly, Ash now gave Koga a dangerous look. "Then time for our second Pokémon. Come out and play…" Grinning like a cheshire cat, Ash called out Trickster.

Now, normally a Gengar would be expected. But out of it came something _so_ many times worse.

There floated a giggling Mew, definitely amused by the situation if her mischievous eyes said anything. Damn, that former Zoroark knew of Mews well enough to copy them perfectly. Being a Gengar, the floating can be considered a natural ability.

Flying around in small circles to tease the gym leader, Koga lost his cool and actually stared, "A Mew?!" he was completely astonished but quickly banished the thoughts. "Flamethrower!"

The Muk was surprisingly fast with that move. A massive flamethrower came out of its mouth and managed to hit the Mew's tail.

When the figure disappeared, it revealed a grinning Gengar with small red markings on its arms and partially on its body. Menacing green eyes glared at his opponent as the Gengar took a deep breath and deciding to 'cool down' that Muk.

Icy Wind was soon fired and froze the Muk into place as the Gengar began laughing like a loom. A dark sound throughout the entire dojo like field.

" _Time to play, let's do this.~_ " an amused, dark voice reached all minds as Ash chuckled a little.

"Trickster. Do be serious, this isn't just a weak Muk," and truly, the Muk broke through the ice instantly. Seeing this, the Gengar turned serious as well and lost his smile.

"Interesting. A talking Pokémon, or perhaps telepathy. Yes, telepathy," Koga nodded. He hadn't heard Meowth speak or let out any human words as the Cat Pokémon was focused and silent.

" _Ha! That's just a small thing if you look at Ash's team! Oh well, here I come!_ " Like before, the Gengar's body changed.

It became a Zoroark as it roared out loud and began rushing towards the Muk. The newly gained speed as a Gengar definitely helped at the Zoroark's body moved _much_ faster compared to the time in Saffron City.

Becoming a blur of black and red, the Gengar moved swiftly towards the Muk and used Shadow Claw to tear away some of its body. Surprised at the toughness of the body, he moved back and began to lurk around the Muk in cautiousness.

That's definitely a good defensive Pokémon. One that made the Gengar surprised.

Koga gained a pleasant smile. Indeed, that team is interesting but his Muk wouldn't go down so easily. "Sludge Wave. Don't let it dodge," Koga ordered.

If it's power, though, Ash could return. "Night Daze!" Like this, a massive poisonous wave was sent from the Muk but a beastly roar from Zoroark and a giant mass of red and black energy pressed against it.

Power against Power. The former Zoroark's main attack against the power of an extremely well trained Muk. Despite being recently trained in a new body, the former Zoroark knew how to control his Night Daze in ways that would leave most other Zoroark flabbergasted and the daze soon changed into a single attack instead of going all around him. It prevented the poison from reaching him but also go through the large Sludge Wave of his opponent. The dark red energy hit the Muk head on and for the first time, sent the Poison Type flying against the wall of the dojo with a pained grunt and a 'splash' of poisonous liquid on the wall.

Raising an eyebrow, Koga ordered the next attack. "Rest," and like that, the Muk closed its eyes and its previous damages healed right away. The only problem was that the Pokémon was now defenseless.

Well, next to its high defense and sleep talk and/or snore.

"Dream Eater!" The Zoroark turned into a Gengar and its unnatural menacing green eyes stared at the Muk, the red sclera growing darkly as the Muk began to groan in _massive_ pain.

It seems that this Dream Eater did the trick as the Muk couldn't fully rest and a super effective move definitely helped. It drained its energy much faster and despite the usage of Sleep Talk and flamethrowers or other moves being fired, the Gengar dodged the sleepily used moves with ease. Dream Eater kept being used and it didn't take long before Muk was down for the count.

"Hm… It appears that I was mistaken in that choice myself. A very good way to deal with a Pokémon that used Rest. I kind-of hoped that you wouldn't be prepared for Sleep Talk and Snore."

The Gengar laughed darkly. " _I have more experience than both of you combined, Gym Leader. That trick is an old one many Snorlax used in the past if they were annoyed by humans,_ " the Gengar explained and Ash simply smiled.

"I've been learning a few things. This is perhaps the best part of being a trainer; you learn such interesting things all the time… but Ash, I hope you are prepared for this opponent. This is one of the best poison types in my gym. Come on out, Drapion."

Out of it came a _massive_ scorpion like Pokémon. It had a large body that was easily twice the size of an average Drapion and it had massive jaws and a pair of massive arms with claws attached. A giant stinger was behind its back, ready to be used. Despite having such an overly large body, Ash _knew_ this Pokémon would be fast.

"Trickster! Multi Shadow Ball!" A massive amount of shadow balls were collected around the now serious Gengar. This kind of opponent would be easy if he was a living Zoroark, but as a Gengar he had a disadvantage. His ectoplasmic body and muscles wasn't ready for such a massive Pokémon.

Firing a huge amount of shadow balls, the Drapion simply rushed forward and its claws began to glow a fierce purple. Crossing them, the Drapion finally tanked through the hits as the Gengar couldn't move with the focus on the shadow balls and a Cross Poison hit the Gengar straight on.

Being blasted to the ground and bouncing at least three times, the Gengar coughed out some air. The poison definitely entered his body and Ash flinched; Gengar wasn't part poison type anymore. This was a dangerous situation.

"If we're going down, we go down the hard way, right Gengar?" Ash grinned darkly. Seeing this, the Gengar did the same. If the opponent was too tough… then they needed to take a worse approach. A move many trainers hate, despise but it was one of the best moves against a gym leader that spoke of the rule that you can't withdraw.

The Gengar opened its mouth and Koga's eyes widened. He definitely figured out what the boy was thinking and he ordered the Ogre Scorp Pokémon to take it out with Fell Stinger. Alas, it was too late for the move to hit.

An ominous voice reached the ears of everyone. Only the Drapion felt the effects, but this was definitely Perish Song. The voice of the dead echoed within the Ogre Scorp and it was already gradually eating away its entire stamina and strength. A sad fact was that the Gengar was knocked out by the Fell Stinger.

Seeing the need to act quickly, he waited for the call that it's over and instantly went for the next one. No need to wait, he needed to fight _now_. What if that Drapion had some kind of berry for situations to this?

"Glacia! Giga Impact!"

When the light showed a _massive_ figure that definitely toppled the huge Drapion, a blueish glow surrounded it while it was still white from being called out. Almost like it stayed there for a while, the figure slammed a Giga Impact into the Drapion and promptly knocked it out.

When the glow disappeared, it revealed a Pokémon many thought of as extinct. Yes, seven or perhaps eight now were restored from fossils. None other were found or at least told of. The evolution of an Amaura, an Aurorus… and a shiny one at that.

The beautiful white of its body made Koga stare in mesmerization. That was definitely a beauty of an ancient Pokémon. Even he, who has seen countless Pokémon, would call this Pokémon at the top three of beautiful Pokémon he had seen.

Impressed, and worried at the same time over his Drapion he quickly returned the Drapion before even more damage would be dealt. He knew when he lost and this team was far stronger than he expected.

Power. Technique. Stamina. Determination. Ash had it all.

But he needed a final push. A final poison-type Pokémon that'll show Ash to always watch out for them.

 _Yes… This one will do. A poison type not many see these days, a poison type many should fear. One that has extreme power yet the power of a ninja._

He grabbed a pokéball. "Dragalge!" He called out the _strongest_ of all his Eight Badge Pokémon. This one was borderline elite level and it definitely spoke for itself when the Pokémon appeared and silently floated.

Silence. No roars. No aura. Completely silent, the Mock Kelp Pokémon.

Ash looked at the Dragalge and _had_ to use his Pokédex to confirm it. Damn, this one is _STRONG_.

"Glacia, don't underestimate this Dragalge! Defensive play!"

Koga didn't need to order the Poison/Dragon Pokémon. It knew him perfectly and could act on his own. Glacia was in a similar state now that Ash ordered defensive play.

The Dragalge _disappeared_ in a blur of speed. The Pokémon that is supposed to be only this fast in water was capable of _floating_ at the same speed and fired massive globs of Toxic towards the Aurorus.

The ancient Pokémon cried out in pain as a horrible poison entered its system and Ash had to look worried, but he knew that Glacia could endure it even if it was Toxic.

The Tundra Pokémon roared out loud with ice simply forming from the ground and creating a small barrier around its body to prevent any blobs of Toxic to reach it again.

Glacia was already poisoned, that much was certain.

Taking a deep breath, the Tundra Pokémon roared and out of it came a _blizzard_. It didn't take long before the entire dojo field, excluding the areas where humans stood, turned into a real tundra.

Ice. Snow. Everyone in the dojo became frozen except the area of trainers and Koga could feel the cold trying to invade his Pokémon. Like that, the hidden Psychic types that protect the humans during battle used Protect and various barriers to protect the humans in the area as the ancient Pokémon finally went on the offensive.

The ice became thicker and thicker around its body. It wouldn't go down so easily. The Pokémon roared again and focused around itself to look for the Dragalge that was floating around at a high speed and looking for any weaknesses.

Blizzards hit the Poison/Dragon type Pokémon, but it was a near elite pokémon. The Aurorus had power in spades, that was obvious, but Dragalge was trained for his weaknesses against Ice and Psychic.

That's also the moment the Dragalge decided it would be dangerous to let the Tundra Pokémon continue. In this field, it was the predator and the Dragalge _knew_ it would lose if the field kept weakening him.

For the first down, the Dragalge let out a cry of battle and charged a _massive_ orb of fighting energy. Focus Blast, a very powerful move and right now the Aurorus trapped itself. Knowing it needed to shield itself even more, a weak protect came around its body, the ice thickened far more in the direction of the focus blast and the Aurorus used Mirror Coat in order to at least redirect some damage.

A combination of many defensive moves. But will it stop a Poison/Dragon type? The Focus Blast broke through the ice as if going through butter, but the first protect shield weakened it quite a bit. After that came the Mirror Coat that absorbed a lot of damage and redirected it at the Dragalge that was recovering slightly. Sadly, the move still continued on and hit the Aurorus head on causing the massive body to crash into the ice and causing the Tundra Pokémon to cry in pain before succumbing to unconsciousness.

Even an Aurorus can't endure Toxic forever. The Focus Blast was twice as super effective on it than other moves and so it was the finish that was needed. Seeing the need to take action, Ash moved swiftly towards the Aurorus and instantly treated the toxic again before healing the small wounds.

After all, you need to treat poison as soon as possible. Right at that moment was needed and Koga allowed it; he understood why too.

Toxic was extremely dangerous. Foolish trainers once decided to let it happen and shrug it off thinking it'll just go until the Pokémon is unconcious.

Sadly, Toxic was a move made of extreme poisons. It was a move that meant to go _further_ than unconsciousness.

A trainer lost his dear Pokémon thanks to that and the world learned to fear poison types. It seems Ash knows of this and he gained the approval of Koga.

The stamina the Pokémon of his have to endure throughout the battle, the ability to trick an opponent. The endurance against poison… The boy trained well and could go even further than himself.

And this boy was _12 years old_.

It made him look at the new generation with pride. However, will he go down so easily? The next Pokémon will be the final one of Ash.

His Dragalge already received damage. The perfect usage of Mirror Coat with the Aurorus surprised even him as the Pokémon used defense as well as offense at the end - hoping to at least damage the opponent for the next Pokémon.

This was the pride of an ancient Pokémon. They do not go down without fighting to the last breath, or at least, until it's unconscious now.

It made the Poison Type Gym Leader look forward to the opportunity to actually own a fossil Pokémon himself. Perhaps a Cradily or Armaldo will fit his battle style? Cradily can indeed be used for his style and it could act as the second tank of his team in the elite four… Interesting idea.

"You fought well, Glacia," Ash whispered with a smile as the Pokémon was returned. Grabbing the last Pokémon for this battle, he decided on the last one.

"Hermit! You're the last one, so take him out!" Like before, a Pokémon came out of the Pokéball and it revealed to be a Greninja.

Koga raised an eyebrow. The Ninja Pokémon itself huh? No wonder the kid knew how to find Aya… It made him chuckle with not a small amount of pride.

Yes, the boy deserved the badge already. Any other challenger would've lost against his Muk. This boy managed to get to _Dragalge_. A Pokémon he wished to train to prepare for the _Elite Four_.

"Spikes all around the Dragalge! Smack Down!" In an instant, spikes of energy were underneath the Dragalge and the Greninja attempted to smack the Dragalge down into it. A good tactic, but Koga's Dragalge was fast.

The Dragalge, despite being hurt, moved to dodge the attack and the Greninja missed. However, the Water/Dark type didn't practice for nothing. Twisting its body, it used its long tongue for a lick attack to hit the Dragalge away and then it jumped off to follow the Pokémon he sent flying.

Seeing such an offensive Greninja made Koga raise a brow. Most don't let them get _that_ aggressive, but it seems this boy thought differently.

The Greninja didn't even have to listen to orders. It was just a starting tactic Ash had out of many and it failed, but the Greninja could work on his own.

Hermit was tough and independant. Just like how he was in viridian forest. But he was now working together with Ash and trained with him. The Pokémon learned many things and could now implement them.

The Dragalge tried firing globs of Toxic towards the Greninja, but Hermit began to use Acrobatics to dodge them. Sliding underneath a particular glob of poison, using two hands to push himself into the air, twisting himself to dodge more. The Ninja Pokémon dodged them all in a show of flexible movements.

Koga rose a second eyebrow. That is some _good_ dodging.

The Greninja grunted and waved his arms. Five Water Shuriken were being fired before the Greninja began twisting his body and like a small tornado, sent countless water shuriken towards the field. The previous ice and snow didn't affect his moves in the slightest as he practiced with Glacia.

Dragalge moved swiftly, dodging the Water Shuriken as it gradually got closer for an attempt of Poison Tail. It managed to get closer, but it seems the Greninja knew of its ideas. Using a quick Toxic Spikes, he changed his type to Poison thanks to Protean and received less damage than he should from the attack. A plus was that he couldn't get poisoned.

Seeing that the attack hit, the Dragalge seemed satisfied. He couldn't use Toxic anymore as it'd be useless against such an agile opponent, but that didn't mean was out of options.

It didn't see the Toxic Spikes. Neither did Koga as the Greninja did it in secret.

Using Feint Attack, the Greninja practically disappeared from all senses for a moment before appearing behind the Dragalge… and he was now within his perfect range.

Poison types can resist fighting type moves, that much is obvious. But can they resist a _lot_ of them? Even if the Dragalge possessed Poison Point or Poison Touch, Hermit would continue until the Pokémon was down.

Hitting the Dragalge downwards, the Ninja Pokémon followed and what came next was a show that made Koga stare in awe.

Fighting moves followed at a speed that would make all kinds of fighting type Pokémon proud. Rapid movements of Karate Chop, Power-Up Punch, Mega Kick and Mega Punch were all implemented in a single battle style. The Greninja hit the back of the neck, the head, the spine and the tail to make sure it had at least hit some critical locations.

That wasn't the finisher though. Just like before, the Greninja was on top of the falling Dragalge as they were going down from its previous floating location in the air and used the Dragalge as a stepping stone for _Bounce_ and what followed next was a _Bounce Kick_ , fighting energy yet again coming around its legs. The Greninja crashed down on the shocked Dragalge with all those moves and finished the battle with one last move. Extrasensory to compress the entire body with psychic energy, harming the Pokémon with a super effective move before sending it flying with a mega kick towards Koga.

Hermit was poisoned. That much was obvious when the Greninja nearly dropped down but it ended in a crouch filled with pants. Such a combo tired out even the Greninja, especially when poison came into play but this should have finished the trick.

The Dragalge _tried_ to get up, but immediately fell down. Comical swirls were in its eyes to show it was down for the count.

Koga returned the Dragalge with a smile. A great battle. Looking towards the Greninja, he spotted the Ninja Pokémon succumbing to the poison and Ash yet again rushed towards his Pokémon.

 _Ha, such a caring trainer. Koga will help him with poison types as soon as they'll return from the Pokémon Center for some healing._

* * *

"Hmm.. So there are berries that you can feed Pokémon until they gain natural resistances as well?" Ash asked Koga for confirmation.

They just returned from the Pokémon Center and it was afternoon. A nice time for some lunch and they were invited at Koga's House, which is one of those Japanese themed house. Large gardens, a pond with Goldeen in it swimming happily and a building with sliding doors.

Ash took quite a liking to these kinds of houses. They were perfect in cases where you don't have to be afraid of people entering your house.

Definitely something to be noted for the Orange Islands. He wrote that down in his logs of travels where he notes down most of the actions or special events of each day.

New moves, training methods, food, pokémon they meet, legendaries, advice. Everything gets written in his adventure logs. For some reason, Ash thought of it as precious for he can look back on it in the future and perhaps pass it on to his future children for tips of traveling.

Just like how he received advice from Koga about berries to feed to Pokémon.

Nodding in agreement, Koga decided to share some information _many_ trainers never listen to. Something many _elite_ trainers do. "Feed your Pokémon berries for their weaknesses. They'll gain slight resistance against it which makes them a lot stronger if they were to face against such opponents. A few universal ones would be fire for those who aren't fire types, Ice for those who aren't ice types, Poison for those who aren't… etcetera."

Nodding at Koga's advice, Ash wrote it down. Heck, even Brock wrote it down and then took the lead of the conversation to ask about some small recipes he could base it on.

Caitlin and Aya were currently conversing about self defense as Aya was one of the few kunoichi that stay here. Janine was obviously still angry at Ash and stayed away from them but eh… She'll get over it.

As they listened to Koga's advice and tips for training, time passed by pretty fast. It was around 3 P.M. when Caitlin told them that they had to go to the ranch if they wanted to see the Ponyta and Rapidash and perhaps ask for a few rides if they could.

"Hmm. Well it was a pleasure to talk to you for a while, Ash, Brock and Caitlin. You three are very interesting trainers and I expect a lot from you three in the future. Ash, listen to my final advice. Your tenacity earned you the badge, the Soul Badge. Keep that tenacity during your travels and you'll have no limits for your growth," Koga smiled a little, showing some pride in his eyes.

"You fought against an eight badge team despite not having that many badges. I respect you greatly for that and expect a rematch once I make it to the elite four. After all, you'll have to reach us someday. It may not be this year, next year but perhaps the year afterwards."

Giving them some time, Koga then teased Ash a bit, perhaps to motivate him.

"Unless you're afraid? Think you can battle against my real team? Dragalge might be considered the weakest amongst them," Koga teased with a faint, challenging grin.

Ash's maroon eyes turned blood red with a faint glow and a grin came on his face. Definitely following his age, Ash held out his fist in a fake attempt to punch the man from a distance. "You better expect a loss if I get there, Koga! Next time we battle you'll go against Pikachu and Falcon… Trust me, those two are strong as well. Perhaps I'll have even more friends."

Grinning, Ash grabbed a Cherish Ball to show off a bit. "We'll fly towards the ranch, it's faster and since we need to rush.. Yeah," Ash shrugged as Brock and Caitlin nodded in agreement. Ash threw the cherish ball in the air making Koga raise a brow.

That was until he saw what came out of it.

A magnificent, shiny _royal_ Talonflame. A Pokémon many trainers would rip off their own arms for. Its body began to light up with flames, perhaps to heat himself up a little and as the bird landed on the ground it caused a small disturbance which nearly made Koga trip a little.

Now _that_ is one hell of a Pokémon.

"Oh by the way, Koga? Talonflame is but one. Brock has a massive Golett, a Steelix, a Tyranitar and a Golem. I think if you battled him, you'd have to at least use one of your main team Pokémon," Ash teased as he jumped on.

Brock let out a sigh as he called out Crobat to bring him up to Talonflame's back.

Like before, Ash pulled up Caitlin after she curtsied to the leader and soon after the trio flew off to their next destination.

Koga simply stared at the magnificent Pokémon that flew off.

Now that boy made him _even more_ interested. Lance wasn't lying about Ash being an interesting trainer.

A smirk came on his face. It's time to train Janine to be the next leader and he himself had to up his own training to reach the final levels of the Elite Four. If Ash keeps growing, he had no doubt that the next battle which might occur in the next few years, will be amazing.

It made him excited. His ninja training forgotten for a while as he laughed. Ash has that effect on people. He brings forth the side of trainers that many forget in time. The excitement, the rush. That desire to become the best. That desire for battles. _Yes, it's time to get stronger in order to keep that promise._

* * *

It only took 30 minutes to finally reach their destination. When they flew down the fire types in the entire ranch all gathered up to see the one who flew down. They all instinctively came to greet one of the strongest fire types they've seen.

When Talonflame landed in the middle of the ranch - in order to prevent any damage or scare humans - the bird let out a loud screech to alert the humans of the ranch that work there.

Jumping off of Talonflame, Ash picked up Caitlin in a bridal position and after landing put her down. It was just something they discussed.

A gentleman helps a lady get on and off a carriage. Whether this be a Pokémon to ride or fly on, or a machine.

Brock soon followed up with a chuckle, his Crobat leaning on his shoulder to watch the Pokémon around them.

"Hmm. There are a lot of Tauros, quite a surprise really. I thought they focused on Ponyta and Rapidash?" Ash asked Brock, who held the information pamphlets.

"Hmm.. No, it appears that they also take care of Tauros, Miltank and a lot of other Pokémon. It's the Ponyta and Rapidash that are raised for races," Brock confirmed and Ash nodded, turning to his Talonflame.

"Would you like to fly around, Falcon? Or do you want to rest in your ball?" Ash asked his second Pokémon, who in turn nodded at the second question.

Smiling, Ash returned his Talonflame and turned around to see tons of Ponyta, Rapidash and Tauros. He blinked a few times before smile and holding out a hand to the group.

It seems they were interested in meeting a person who could raise such a fire type and they came closer curiously. Sniffing his hand to make sure it's safe, the first who came closer was a Ponyta that was pretty young. Ash chuckled and pet the Ponyta, gently stroking its neck.

It was then that the madness began and the Pokémon all came closer to the group. They were pretty much swarmed as they began nuzzling curiously or at times ask for a small snack. Good thing they always carry tons of snacks for wild Pokémon as they fed the Pokémon around them a snack each.

It's not like they hurt. They were meant for strengthening one's body after all. It's only healthy for the Pokémon.

That's also the scene where Lara Laramie came in. She was obviously disturbed when panicking Tauros suddenly looked towards the sound of the screech and ran towards it into a stampede instead of her direction. Even the Ponyta she rode on ignored whatever came near its feet and rushed off there to see what it was.

Was it a call from something? She didn't know but she felt some cold sweat coming up… well, until she spotted three children feeding and petting even the most antisocial of her ranch's Pokémon.

The boy especially could pet all the Rapidash without any problems. It seems that there were more Pokémon running into their direction as well as she could see small dust clouds coming up that appear whenever a large amount of Pokémon rush somewhere.

It seems they spotted it as well so they asked the Tauros, Ponyta and Rapidash for a little space. Surprisingly, they listened. Was it natural charisma, or did they show that they were _far_ above the norm of normal people and they listened to their superior?

"Ohh, I see a lot of Nidorino. I wonder why Koga didn't use a Nidoking or Nidoqueen, those are pretty strong. Leaf's Nidorina was a complete monster in battle," Ash spoke up first as he walked towards the storm of Pokémon that came into their direction.

They weren't hostile in the slightest and it seems the boy had this feeling that they knew.

Wait, didn't some of these Pokémon come from Oak's Ranch after they were abandoned? Ash could see a few familiar faces; a shiny Sandslash and a royal Nidorino being few of them. It seems the Professor let the Pokémon stay in the ranch here, where they can continuously stay out of their pokéballs and look for possible mates.

Those were the ones happiest to see Ash as they knew the boy by aura he let out alone.

That was also something that surprised Lara. Well, until the massive Nidorino jumped onto the trainer and Ash caught him whilst laughing, falling flat on his back while being licked happily. His red and white cap just fell off as tons of Pokémon took that as a sign to lick and play with the boy as well.

Brock was obviously amused if his laughing was any sign. "Guess they know Ash, eh Caitlin?"

Caitlin giggled. "Yes, indeed. Perhaps they're from Oak's Ranch? Wild Pokémon like Ash a lot too so I guess I'm not surprised at the amount of Ponyta and such liking him."

Brock nodded sagely before he noticed Lara and he waved to her. "Seems like the owner has arrived. Hello!" He greeted Lara, who now jumped off of her Ponyta and had to look at the scene of a boy being crushed by affectionate Pokémon.

"I take it the boy worked at Professor Oak's ranch?" She asked to be sure. It's not every day she sees those Pokémon rush somewhere happily. The screech of Talonflame must've accidently attracted them as well as they knew the cry.

"Yes. He worked there since he was a child and often stayed with the Pokémon. I guess they came from Oak's place?" Brock asked Lara with a smile.

Lara simply nodded and giggled when she noticed an eager little baby Nidoran take the cap and ask one of the Nidorino something, who later placed the cap on top of the Nidoran. It seems that the Nidoran took a liking to the cap.

"Ah, hey! My caap!" Ash struggled underneath the giant Nidorino who simply laughed happily at seeing such a young Nidoran do something so sneaky. The nearby Rhyhorn eventually came as well.

Rhyhorn were rarely at Oak's Ranch so they must've been attracted by the noise. Seeing so many Pokémon together without fighting must've surprised the rock types and all the caretakers came as well.

All of Ash's pokémon took that as a cue and released themselves. Pikachu especially waved cheerfully and some of the ranch Pokémon came to him and talked animatedly. It seems they were reunited and the massive shiny Aurorus walked towards the Rhyhorn for some peace. The Greninja tried to help his trainer up and Meowth just laughed in amusement. The _massive_ Talonflame just stood there tilting his head, wondering why he got called out until he spotted that many familiar faces and bent closer to greet them as well.

"Seems like it'll stay like this fer a while, I reckon we wait for a bit," Lara started with a small smile. "Kinda wanted to beat up whoever came here uninvited but I guess I can't if the Pokémon like da boy so much."

"Yes. I wouldn't do that if I were you. All of our Pokémon are quite protective of him," Caitlin told Lara as she giggled at the sight of the Pokémon coming out. Heck, the fire types were walking towards the Talonflame again to greet him in respect. Perhaps it's the leader-like aura the Talonflame gave off?

Even the Ponyta that Lara was training for the race walked towards the Talonflame in curiosity.

"Mind if we call out our own Pokémon? I believe some of mine might like to meet some fellow rock types after all those Crobat," Brock said and Crobat whacked him on the back of his head for that comment.

"Ouch! Hey, I wasn't saying they dislike you or something!"

Caitlin giggled with Lara as the two of them looked at each other. Lara simply replied with a nod. "Why don't ya? As long as ya don't start any fights we ain't going to have a problem."

And just like that, pokéballs flew into the air and out of it came Pokémon. Even _Entei_ was called out.

And just like that, the day became chaotic.

* * *

"Phew.. I'm finally free," Ash rubbed his back as he got his cap back on. His black hair was a little messy from all the licks and nuzzles he got from the Pokémon and even now a lot of the Ranch Pokémon that came from Oak were close to him. It seems the caretakers just couldn't get them away from Ash.

"Ya seem quite well liked boy. Didn't expect ta see so many Pokémon like a stranger," Lara commented as she walked up to him and offered a towel to clean up his face.

It was obviously amusing for Lara when Ash took it and quickly cleaned his face. It was just _covered_ in saliva.

A few Pokémon around them laughed and the shiny Sandslash eventually walked up to Ash and offered a claw. " _Nice to see you again, Ash._ "

"Yeah, nice to see you again as well, Slash and you guys too," Ash smiled at the Pokémon which happily replied with roars of greetings. Ash took the claw as a handshake, something he taught the Sandslash for fun as a Sandshrew. This shiny Sandslash was formerly abused by a trainer who thought that this Sandslash was a grass type as a Sandshrew due to the colorization. He was often forced to battle water types and when he lost the trainer just abandoned him.

The massive Nidorino took the lead and poked against Ash's stomach before turning to the other two that came with him.

"Ah, these are my friends. That's Brock, who aspires to be a breeder and a doctor. That's Caitlin who dreams to become an elite four member," Ash introduced his friends and the former Oak Ranch Pokémon happily walked up to them and offered greetings.

Lara was interested in the sight. It seems the boy was quite well liked… and wasn't that race coming up soon? Maybe she could sponsor some more trainers and let them race for Laramie. It's not like it's forbidden to have multiple applicants and it seems the boy was liked pretty well.

Food for thought.

"So, Lara if I'm right, how are the preparations for the race?" Ash asked with a grin. It was obvious he came to view the race. The previous thoughts of an intruder or a poacher were completely forgotten at seeing so many happy Pokémon.

"Hmm. Going pretty well, Ponyta here has some troubles but she's getting there. I think she's close ta evolvin' if she gets the drive," she pet the Ponyta she rode on earlier. Ash blinked curiously and came closer.

Ponyta, who disliked strangers, stared at Ash without saying a thing. This boy was liked by the surrounding pokémon after all so she could see he can be trusted.

"Hmm. Seeing the flames she's indeed close to evolution," Ash's hand reached out and began stroking the mane of flames. A blue, and later red, glow on his hand as he ignored the flames. For some reason, the Ponyta instantly liked the touch and nuzzled closer.

"Woah, she's already likin' ya?" Lara exclaimed in surprise. It's not every day that Ponyta takes a liking to someone.

Ash chuckled a little, "I am an aura user. It's a special ability that some humans have. I can add aura to my touch and some pokémon enjoy it a lot if I do so. I massage my own Pokémon with aura whenever I can so they're relaxed. It seems Ponyta enjoys the touch as well," he explained a bit.

" _You bet I do. Your touch is really warm,_ " the Ponyta replied happily as she nuzzled her head against Ash's.

"Oh? It's a warm touch for you hm? I'm glad you like it then," Ash laughed when the Ponyta jumped back a bit in surprise. Obviously the Ponyta didn't expect Ash to understand her.

"Surprised?" He asked with a small grin. He enjoyed the sights of seeing them so shocked.

" _Y-yes… That's a unique skill you have, trainer,_ " the Ponyta was obviously shaken but seemed to shrug it off after Ash stroked her chin.

Lara blinked, "What'd I miss?"

"Ah. I just surprised Ponyta with the fact that I can understand her. It's not really a surprise or anything, Meowth and Trickster can speak as well."

"Ya rang? / _You called, Ash?_ " the aforementioned Pokémon popped up curiously. Lara was obviously shocked at seeing a Meowth talk like a human and a Gengar actually talking to her mind.

"Wow… You're not a normal trainer, Ash," Lara blinked before giggling.

"Care to race for us? I wonder how it'd go," she offered with a grin. It would be pretty cool if he could do that, after all, he could listen to the Pokémon's complaints and adjust.

"Hmm. I don't mind actually," Ash tilted his head as he looked at Brock and Caitlin. "Can my friends join as well?"

Lara smiled at the other two trainers. "Why of course. Brock, Caitlin. What kind of Pokémon would you like to ride for the race?"

Blinking in surprise at being allowed to race just like that, they thought about it. It seems Caitlin went first.

"Well… That giant Nidorino looks pretty fast. Why don't we team up?" Caitlin asked with a soft smile. The royal Nidorino in question turned to her with a surprised expression before giving a growl of agreement and walked up to her.

Brock looked around before spotting something interesting. "Hmm, can I ride on that one?" He pointed towards a lean looking Rhyhorn. One definitely ready for speed. It seems the boy had an eye for fast rock types.

"I don't mind, go ask," Lara shrugged and Brock walked up towards that particular Rhyhorn. It seems they talked about the situation and Rhyhorn gained an interested glint in his eyes. It wasn't long until they came back with Rhyhorn happily walking next to Brock.

"Ah. Brock's a former rock type gym leader," Ash spoke helpfully in case Lara was even more surprised.

"Ohh.. and who would you like to ride on for the race, Ash?"

Looking around, he eventually spotted various Ponyta and Rapidash. That was, until he turned back to the Ponyta next to Lara and it seemed to have this determination in her eyes that made Ash think about it.

"How about you, Ponyta?" He asked the Ponyta next to Lara, who began to think about it.

Lara was preparing to ride on her for the race, but if she went with Ash she knew that she could win. Something about that boy just gave her that courage.

The Ponyta looked at Lara for permission, perhaps out of habit as Lara seemed to beam at her.

If the Ponyta made friends with someone else, it helps to get her out of her shell. That's even more important to Lara than winning the race. "Of course ya can let him ride on ya, Ponyta. I trust that he's a good guy. The Pokémon here are proof for dat, ain't dey?" she spoke with a chuckle.

Ponyta happily licked Lara's cheek before rushing towards Ash and practically begging him to get on for practice. Seeing that, Ash couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, I suppose we can practice? That race is in two days and while I have experience, the Pokémon need to get used to us," Ash told Lara with a grin.

It seems that they always find themselves in amusing situations.

"Well.. Get to it!" Lara spoke cheerfully. That was all they needed as Ash hopped onto Ponyta and the fire type immediately ran off for practice towards the road. The lean Rhyhorn and giant Nidorino caught up instantly, seeming to race alongside them with the two trainers on top.

Yes, she might've hit jackpot. Maybe she should let strangers come in more often to see if they can be trusted? It helped with this kid. .. Nah.

They're just lucky she hadn't called Officer Jenny yet for coming onto private property. Ah well.

 _They unknowingly stopped an attempt to prevent Lara from entering the tournament._

* * *

Two days can pass by pretty fast. They met up with Koga, Aya and Janine when they were practicing on the final day and explained what happened. Koga still found it amusing that they first broke in but then ended up with the offer to actually participate in the race.

Right now, Ash and Ponyta were perfectly in sync for such a short time. Ash fed the Ponyta some of his special ingredients and the fire type absolutely adored it. They trained hard with some weights and special areas they made with help of various pokémon and the Pokémon bred for races _excelled_ in them.

Nidorino, who was ridden by Caitlin, seemed to have blunted all of his spikes and horns in order to prevent anything from happening. The poison didn't escape his body in the slightest and in two days the Nidorino took a liking to Caitlin.

Well, Caitlin could've always cheated with Entei but still. It was still amusing to see Lara's reaction to seeing Entei… maybe Caitlin got a _little_ too much into it when they introduced their Pokémon.

Entei just laughed it off as it was amusing to the Legendary Pokémon.

It was a fact that all three of them were interested in becoming an honorary member of the Laramie Ranch. That meant that they could ask any location's Laramie Ranch for a ride on a Ponyta & Rapidash to another Ranch. That meant cities in between. While they can fly, wouldn't it be amazing to have that privilege?

So now they stood next to each other for the competition. To be honest, only one of them needed to win but Ash thought of it as amusing to add another bet.

Whoever won between them, as in whoever finished first, doesn't have to prepare camp items such as wood for an entire month.

Each of them _hated_ that little job. Not that it was that bad, but it was just a waste of time and it often had to be done when one was tired.

They also met Dario in these past two days as well as three weird grunts of Team Rocket. They ignored them simply because it's amusing to see them fail. Ash kept warning the group whenever they were close or whenever they trapped something and it was amusing to hear cries of agony when they themselves fell for it.

Was it Ash, or did one sound like that Jessie woman?

That was also when someone unexpected arrived.

A young adult with lavender colored hair that reached his shoulders. He wore a long black shirt that didn't have any sleeves as it was hot outside. A pair of comfortable jeans and some casual shoes for this event. This man was familiar, after all, wasn't it James?

He rode on top of an Arcanine. Very interesting.

"Well if it isn't James! How do you do?" Ash smiled happily at the man that left Team Rocket.

"Pretty good Ash. I intend to win this race though," James teased with a wink and the race was beginning. No time for chit chat in the beginning.

"We'll see," and like that, the race began. A bullet was fired into the air and the Pokémon raced off.

Almost instantly, Ash ordered the Ponyta to jump and they jumped over a hidden trench. James followed up and his friends as well. It seems Arcanine was pretty fast as James easily stayed next to Ash and the other two were next to him as well. They took the front as Dario's Dodrio was currently messing around with another Dodrio.

Why oh why was there another Dodrio, one would wonder? .. And why is a female that used Attract?

 _Ah, that's why._ You don't mess with Ash because when he takes revenge, it's at the _perfect moment_.

"C'mon Ponyta! Let's rush, there's no traps ahead. Full speed ahead!" Ash cheered on the Ponyta he rode on. The Ponyta let out a cry before a trail of fire was being left behind by its speed.

Arcanine and James seemed to catch up soon after. That Arcanine is pretty fast. "So James, how does it feel to be a free trainer?"

"Pretty good actually. Growlie here helped me escape after we went to my mansion to take my possessions. I knocked out that maniac that looked like Jessie and showed my parents proof through videos about her treatment. The engagement was canceled but they still wanted me to stay and take over the business.. Not interested," James shrugged and laughed when Ash had a childish grin.

"I see. I assume you've had this Arcanine for a while now then; let's see who wins!"

Like that, both Pokémon and human erupted in flames. A perfectly controlled flame charge went ahead as James' Arcanine did the same and still ran next to the Ponyta. The Arcanine seemed to save up its energy for the last sprint.

The Royal Nidorino wouldn't stop so easily though. It rushed through the harsher parts and thanks to its large body, it was easy to take small shortcuts. Currently the first spot belonged to Caitlin and Ash was second with James. Brock was third.

Grinning childishly, they finally met various obstacles. Just like they practiced, Ponyta began to jump over them if not nearly _bouncing_ over them. The trust the Ponyta had in Ash's instructions was appalling because she wasn't even his own Pokémon.

"Alright Growlie! Charge through that obstacle and full speed before jumping over the river!" James went ahead and the Arcanine roared in agreement as the Legendary Pokémon rushed ahead of Ash.

However, Ash wasn't one to give in. Smiling at Ponyta, he offered a final whisper. "Let go all your worries. Trust in my instructions and we'll make it. You'll be the winner of this race, that I promise. I promise that as your friend," and silently, he began to glow a silent red as if entering aura through the Ponyta's body and warm her up a bit. It wasn't a boost in the slightest, it was only the feeling of Ash being with her.

That was the final obstacle that Ponyta needed to evolve. The worries now shrugged off, the Ponyta _jumped_ so high she was over the river and during the jump, in mid-air the Ponyta completely changed.

The mane became much larger and each flames looked twice as large. A majestic steed that many would desire with a larger than average horn. Legs that were strengthened by hours training and finally completed upon evolution, the racing Pokémon finally reached its evolution.

And now… it _ran_.

Almost like a bullet they were fired off unlike with Ponyta and easily went past James' Arcanine. It obviously let out a growl of surprise but that didn't stop them. A frontal charge, no mercy in the slightest and they finally beat Caitlin's spot as first when they raced past her in a complete flame charge.

They don't give up. They don't fear. They don't worry about anything. They _move forward_.

Like that, the first part of the race was completed and Rapidash had a small break for a good meal and a drink. The final part will be a rocky field, something Rhyhorn would excel in.

"Ready?" Ash asked after a 5 minute break where the Rapidash could catch her breath. An evolution's adrenaline had to die down at some point and rather now than later.

" _Ready! I won't give up!_ " Rapidash shouted out after taking a deep breath. Like that, they were like a cannon. Jumping straight off, but it seemed the steady taking Brock had already left and took the advantage of the field.

 _It proves that sometimes, they don't just need speed but also patience and tactics._

"We won't let that stop us though… _Bounce through the field, Rapidash!_ " Ash shouted out and almost like an Entei, the Rapidash jumped off with swift movements that would make one surprised. This was what they practiced the previous two days after all, and with Rapidash's new body… this should be a cinch.

They met up with Brock soon enough and Ash had to laugh at Brock simply petting the Rhyhorn as they rode on. "Wow, not really shouting and trying to motivate like that? Talk about taking a calm approach, Brock. Good idea though… We'll see who wins! I definitely don't want to gather stupid branches and logs for a month!"

Rapidash let out another cry before jumping faster and faster, using rocks to push herself forward instead of upwards.

Nidorino and Caitlin soon rushed next to them whereas James' Arcanine began using Extremespeed to rush past the harder rockers and simply jump to the larger ones.

"Hmm… Seeming like we need to push ourselves. Ready, Rhyhorn? Give it all your energy and go for the win," Brock whispered and pet the Rhyhorn's horn, gently stroking over it.

After a small rumble similar to a purr, the Rhyhorn's eyes turned fierce. Almost like taking a 180 in personality, the Rhyhorn _roared_ and rushed past Ash and Rapidash that made the boy look at Brock in shock.

 _Weren't those Pokémon supposed to be slower?!_

Damn genetics! "You can do it, Rapidash! No need for anything else, give it your all. Let's show Lara how good you are," Ash grinned wildly.

"We won't lose so easily, Ash," Caitlin said next to them. It seems Nidorino was using Brock's Rhyhorn's path which was more crushed than anything else.

"Haha! This is fun! Maybe I should compete more in races, what do you say Growlie?"

" _Yeah! This is fun!_ "

Like that, the four trainers blurred ahead _oh so far_ from the rest. Quality versus quantity.

Dario couldn't even rush up to them thanks to the X Speed working off and the rocket grunts couldn't even catch up to them now.

That was when Koga and the rest of the spectators waited at the finish. They were all cheering whereas the more silent ones just smiled in amusement.

Even Koga had to chuckle at the sight of seeing all three of them ahead of the others. The other man was a surprise but seeing them converse with one another, they must be acquaintances.

"Final 100 meters! C'mon!" Ash cheered whilst laughing. The Rapidash was tired, but for the last 100 meters… _Push!_

Like that, the Rapidash gave all its energy into the speed. It was completely flat so they should be safe like that.

Brock and Caitlin seemed to cheer on their own Pokémon who never gave up and roared with attempts to catch up. Lara seemed to be extremely proud of those two even if they weren't trained for races.

James chuckled as he and Growlie seemed to be third, and soon fourth place. Growlie gave all his energy in the Extremespeed before but the rocky area proved to be a little tougher than expected.

No matter… it was fun. Now he watched the three children that helped him out go for the win. They were all running next to each other, the Nidorino and Rhyhorn having more stamina naturally than a recently evolved Rapidash.

And like that… Rapidash's horn reached further than Nidorino's and Rhyhorn's, making Rapidash first place!

* * *

"Damn your Rapidash's horn, Lara," Caitlin and Brock complained with a pout. Even complaining, they were happily petting the two Pokémon they rode on.

"Haha! I couldn't have expected her to evolve, can I? Still, I'm happy for ya Rapidash!" Lara spoke, happily hugging the Rapidash.

"Well raced, Rapidash. You too, Nidorino and Rhyhorn," Ash grinned as he looked at the two out of breath Pokémon. They obviously enjoyed it too if their expressions were anything to go by.

"Well Lara, it appears you have more Pokémon that will enjoy racing," Ash whispered to Lara after getting next to her.

"Yeah. Looking forward to see them practice. If they managed to keep up with Rapidash after an evolution, I wonder how they'll do after proper race training," Lara whispered back.

James eventually walked up to them with his Arcanine next to him. "Shame that we lost, but it was a fun race. Well done you guys," He spoke cheerfully with a smile.

"Yeah, you too James. I'm surprised you got here, I thought you were training for Johto and preparing to go for a league run there?" Brock asked curiously.

James shrugged slightly. "Sometimes we need some new things to do. After I got Growlie and taught him all moves a Growlithe can learn naturally, as well as train him as much as a Growlithe can be trained, I evolved him. Now he has to get used to his new speed and carrying me. This race was pretty much a good exercise for him."

"Good idea," Ash nodded sagely before looking at James with a grin. "What Pokémon do you have now? I assume you must've captured _some_."

"Yes, I have new friends," James said cheerfully as he had six pokéballs on his belt.

"Growlie, my Arcanine. Leviathan, the Gyarados as you know. Wheezing, my former Koffing left after finding a good mate to stay with so I had to release him. In his stead I captured a nearby Phanpy who I'm training into a Donphan. I also have a Chimecho and a Carnivine. The latest addition to my team is a Dratini I bought from the black market because I didn't want it to suffer under cruel trainers."

Ash smiled slightly, "Well bought. Take good care of the Dratini and show that you love it. It'll gradually return the feelings and after evolution it knows you were the one taking care of it instead of the cruel black market. Want Meowth to translate a conversation for you in private?" Ash offered.

James nodded with a grin. "Haven't seen Meowth in ages, I wonder how he's grown from how he was. I'd love to hear what Dratini has to say too because if she wishes to be released, I'll listen."

Ash nodded with a smile as the group soon left for the Laramie Ranch. They had to get their prizes after all!

First place - Ash and Rapidash - Laramie Ranch Honorary Membership  
Second place - Brock and Rhyhorn - Standard Pokéchow for a month  
Third place - Caitlin and Nidorino - Five of each berries including Enigma and other kinds alongside a berry growth capsule.  
Fourth place - James and Arcanine - A dozen of Super Potions

Fifth place - Richard and Electrode - A dozen of normal Potions

And it was during lunch when Ash asked a valid question.

"Brock, didn't you capture a Zubat in the past? What happened to it?" He asked to be sure. He could've sworn, despite all of the things that happened, that Brock had a Zubat.

"Ah, Zubat? I left him with the Houndour and Houndoom at the gym. To be honest, I thought Zubat would make great friends with my sister. She loves poison types, strangely enough," Brock explained to Ash.

Nodding his head slightly, he tilted his head. "And why'd you capture Crobat then?"

"Because Crobat has valuable poison that can be used for medicine. Zubat wouldn't have been able to become a Crobat in a year because the bond takes a while to form unlike a natural Zubat evolution," Brock spoke sagely. "A Zubat, after being captured, needs a bond with a trainer to become a Crobat later on. A wild one often becomes a Crobat in times of need or danger. Those are often more aggressive but they become less aggressive as they get older."

"Ah," Ash nodded as he began to finish his plate. Next to him was James with a little Dratini around his neck and it enjoyed some small snacks that James fed it. After they had a conversation, it seems the Dratini cheered up quite a bit around the man and they became good friends pretty fast. Must be because Dratini is still young.

"So, will you all stay at my gym during the month? I've already contacted Officer Jenny and she said that you can do so in two weeks. Visitor protocols or something like that was mentioned," Koga told Ash as he sat in front of the young trainer.

"Hmm. Sure. Do you want to stay as well, James? It might be good training for Carnivine to learn some poison type moves," Ash asked the former Team Rocket member.

"If Koga does not mind," James looked at Koga for confirmation.

"Why not? Friends of Ash are welcome, you too have an interesting team so I wonder if you wouldn't mind battling my daughter to let her gain some experience."

"Sure but it'll have to be five against five. My Leviathan, a Gyarados, is pretty much far too big compared to others," James reasoned.

"Seeing Ash with such a Talonflame and seeing Brock's Golett… I'm inclined to believe you, young man," Koga laughed loudly in amusement.

* * *

Two weeks passed since. James, Brock, Caitlin and Ash all improved on their battle styles, fed their Pokémon new methods to make their resistance increase against their weaknesses and other standard status effects with some trial and error on taste for the food and above all, gained experience.

James' Carnivine had a pretty mean Sludge Bomb now.

Janine might, or might not, have gained a little childish crush on James because he's a natural gentleman but James was too dense for that and too old in his own honest opinion were he to notice.

"You sure you don't want to travel along with us for a while?" Ash asked James for pretty much the third time. It's a shame to see friends leave after all.

"Yeah. I intend to go to the Orange Islands after visiting Cinnabar Island to train. I've heard wild Pokémon there are really strong and I need more experience. Perhaps I may gain new friends," James told the boy with a smile.

"How long do you intend to stay there?" Ash asked curiously, now wondering about it.

"Mm. Until Johto I think, I'll wait for you to reach the Johto League. I take it you intended to go to the Orange Islands as well?"

"Yeah. Training, traveling and gaining experience. Perhaps an island to build a house on to live in and have a place where I can rest," Ash nodded.

James gave Ash a grin and put his hand on his cap, pulling it down in front of his eyes. "Too bad I'll get the better one," he teased.

"We'll see!" Ash challenged with an inner fire in his eyes.

James just laughed as he called out his Growlie and left whilst riding on the Legendary Pokémon.

Ash turned to Koga with a smile. "We're going towards the Kangaskhan now. Thank you for letting us stay here the entire time," Ash bowed to the leader of Fuschia.

"Haha! Don't worry, Ash! I've learnt new things as well and they'll definitely help me become an elite four. Just make sure you reach my level in the future. I expect you to battle me as soon as possible," the usually calm and collected leader spoke cheerfully. Having Ash at his place was amusing. It was like he gained another son because Ash always listened to his advice and even asked for some actual spars.

The spars alone made Koga smile in pride. He definitely improved Ash's personal combat style. Brock and Caitlin followed up soon after at seeing that Koga was such a master in what he calls taijutsu.

"Have a safe trip you three," Koga waved them off as he went back to the gym after hearing a bell. A call for a gym battle, most likely.

Ash turned to his friends and grinned, calling out Falcon. "Let's go!" He shouted as he jumped on top of the large Talonflame, holding out a hand for Caitlin. The lady, who now wore some comfortable traveling wear (after hearing the nagging from Aya that she should do so as dresses get wasted while traveling) and pulled her up. Brock seemed to jump on top of the Talonflame as well.

A good few hours later and they reached the Pokémon Reserve which is just next to the Safari Zone. This is where countless Pokémon stay protected by countless Officer Jenny.

Landing in front of the outpost, Ash was introduced to a bunch of Growlithe growling at Talonflame and he silently rose an eyebrow. Jumping off, he waited for the others as Caitlin now jumped off on her own and Brock followed after.

Two weeks can do a lot to a person, it seems.

Returning Falcon, Ash turned to see an Officer Jenny come out of the outpost. "Are you children the ones that wanted to study the Kangaskhan in the area?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah! Have Leaf and Gary arrived yet?" Ash asked as he _knew_ those two would want to check the area.

"Oh? You're friends of our two heroes here huh?" Jenny laughed a little at seeing Ash's confusion. "They helped a child reunite with his parents. That child always stayed with the Kangaskhan. One of the Kangaskhan even asked if she could join the girl's team which she happily accepted after going through protocols with us."

"Typically Leaf," Ash shook his head in amusement. Leave it up to her to gain an extremely rare Pokémon like that.

"We can guide you to them. I believe they've been making sketches and conversing to the Pokémon about the pack," Jenny jumped onto a jeep and called the others to join.

 _And an unpleasant, speed devilish ride later they saw Gary and Leaf._

"Ash?" Brock asked in a shaken voice as they got out and all three fell down nausiously.

"Yeah, Brock? What is- urp… it?" Ash asked his traveling companion.

"Remind me to never let an Officer Jenny drive me again."

"If you do the same for me."

"Ughh…" Caitlin complained and rubbed her poor stomach.

* * *

After they got better they walked up to Gary and Leaf. Ash wanted to surprise them so he formed that aura 'tail' from his back and carefully picked up Leaf as she was sketching making her scream in surprise.

Ash simply laughed as the tail held her up in the air with Gary soon following as he noticed it.

"Hey Ashy! Long time no see, how've you been doing man?" Gary spoke cheerfully as he bumped his fist against Ash's.

"Ash, put the girl down," Caitlin practically ordered as she noticed that the girl wore a skirt.

"Sorry, sorry." He obeyed right away after noticing it as well. The Kangaskhan next to her seemed surprised and quite protective, but a small growl of a Nidoqueen next to Leaf silenced the desire to protect.

Wait.. Nidoqueen.

Ash stared at that monstrosity of a Nidoqueen. "You… have grown," He spoke with false calm. Saying that is complete _bull_. That Nidoqueen is at least 2.5 meters tall! That's almost twice the normal size!

It's not even a damn royal Pokémon!

Gary seemed to have noticed Ash's expression and nodded, "I was the same, I was the same.." He patted Ash's shoulder.

"Sigh… Boys," Leaf shook her head in amusement as she giggled later on. "Show 'em Ash, I haven't seen your team in ages. Where's little Pikachu?"

"Ah? Pikachu? He's asleep in his Cherish Ball. Give me a moment," Ash smiled and filled his Cherish Balls with aura to wake them all up and let them all out.

A massive Talonflame, a Pikachu on top of its head, a shiny Aurorus, a Greninja with folded arms, a Meowth yawning and stretching and finally a grinning Gengar who looked different from the form.

Leaf shook her head in amazement. "So many rare and strong Pokémon. I didn't expect any less. Here's my team," Leaf spoke cheerfully as she waved her hands at Kangaskhan, who is now a main member of her Pokémon team, the massive Nidoqueen and soon called out five others.

A Venusaur, a Clefable (Talk about freakin' rare!), a massive Pidgeot (that's somewhat close to royal considering its size, what does she feed those Pokémon?), a Lapras that was called out in the small pond next to them (weren't those meant to be so damn rare it's nearly impossible to get one?) and finally _a Dragonair_. Oh, let's not forget about _Altaria_ who was comfortably landing on Leaf's head who probably didn't even notice it as it was a second nature for the former Swablu.

A freakin' Dragonair. A pseudo-legendary dragon. Why do all of his friends or acquaintances have at least one of those?

He felt _slightly_ jealous. He was going to get from Lance in Johto anyway, so.

Gary just laughed as he called out his Umbreon, Blastoise, Fearow, Scizor, royal Arcanine and Nidoking that nearly matched the Nidoqueen in size.

"Don't worry Ashy. You're not the only one that doesn't have any pseudo-legendaries," he pat his friend/rival's shoulder.

Aiming a thumb behind him, he had a deadpan on his face. Next to Caitlin stood a Metagross. Entei and Gothitelle went back home in order to take care of it and Entei had some messenger duties thanks to Ho-oh. The others of her team simply stretched lazily.

Brock's team pretty much made some stare. A massive Golett, a Steelix, a Tyranitar, a Golem, a Ninetales, a Roserade and finally a pretty big Crobat full of small scars and showing experience in battling (flying opponents at least).

"Woah. So many rare Pokémon," Leaf's eyes were practically _radiating_ happiness. It's nearly a laser, that much.

"Seems like we'll stay here for a while eh? I'm sure you'd love to see all kinds of pokémon in the reserve before we go to the Safari Zone, Ash," Gary smiled and went to introduce himself to Caitlin as he already knew Brock.

 _Friends finally reunited again._

* * *

A week passed and now the Safari Zone was open. As promised, they met up in a month albeit earlier because like usual… great minds think alike.

"So, seven badges huh?" Ash asked Gary with a smile.

"Yeah! It used to be two side gyms but recently Lavender Town's gym became an official gym. That's why only 1 badge is a side gym now," Gary explained with a grin.

"Oh? Not bad. I assume Lavender Town is ghost type huh? Might visit them, might not," Ash shrugged. Extra badge challenges are good and all but he'll finish the main eight first.

"So how'd you beat Koga?" Gary asked curiously and Ash shrugged.

"Mostly strategy, endure the poison, power through, surprise him, have unique battle moves and such. I take it you practically swept through with your Scizor?" Ash grinned slightly. That Scizor was a powerhouse, he felt it the past week they stayed here.

Gary chuckled. "Yeah, he gave me a seven badge challenge actually. A badge above the usual one, which I enjoyed."

"Lucky you… I had an eight badge one," Ash pouted slightly.

"What?! How?!"

"Lance kinda told Koga about me and told him to go all out," Ash shrugged.

Gary laughed out loud. Ash had Victini's Luck, but sometimes the opposite happens.

As the two boys were conversing, the three walking behind them just shook their heads in amusement and synchronicity. Boys will be boys. Well.. Brock is a boy too, but he's more mature. _Slightly_ more mature.

"Those two are quite into being a trainer, aren't they?" Caitlin asked their childhood friend, Leaf.

Leaf giggled softly, "Yes. Ash aims to be the Pokémon Master with researcher second. Gary is the opposite. They're quite a team actually. I simply want to help out both so I'll be an assistant researcher for Gary. We've been planning to travel together actually," she smiled at Caitlin.

"Ohh?" Caitlin gained that cat like smile women do when they notice something, or at least think they do. She grabbed Leaf and began the embarrassing torture of trying to find out if she has a crush on Gary or not.

Brock shook his head and walked up to the two leading them ahead to the Safari Zone. "By the way guys, watch out for the man who owns the zone. He threatens everyone who comes near the Dratini Lake or whatever it's called because he thinks a Dratini is there so don't mention it, understood?" Brock warned the two and spoke loud enough for the two behind him to hear it as well.

""""Understood!""""

* * *

"Just don't enter the forbidden area, got it you brats?!" The Safari Supervisor snarled with a gun in his hands. Having had enough of it after a good five warnings, Ash snapped because he kept scaring everyone with it. A blue tail formed from his back and _slammed_ against the gun, also breaking the elderly man's wrist. He shouldn't _threaten_ children. That's just horrible.

"Stop aiming that gun against us or I'll aim my personal one at you," he whispered with a glare, his red eyes _glowing dangerously_. You can do it once, he'll panic. You can do it twice, he'll obviously listen. Do it thrice you'll anger him. Go further and it pisses him off because he keeps scaring them.

"Get that broken wrist treated and I swear if I find that gun ever aimed at us again, I'll break both of your arms and your legs and make you crawl to the Pokémon Center or the hospital with nothing but your chin. Got it?" Ash shouted at the end, obviously enraged by now. The elderly man now got a boy that snaps when you do such acts.

"Besides, I don't give a damn about Dratini or any of them. We're coming here to capture _some_ rare Pokémon for research for Professor Oak. Not to poach them, sell them or keep them or whatever! Well, some of them might be kept if we find some who wish to join our journey but still," Ash shook his head and grabbed his basket.

Each trainer gets 30 Safari Balls. They all paid for it obviously.

A good thing is that the gun is now unable to used ever again. Ash broke it and Leaf and Gary didn't look surprised in the slightest.

Ash once snapped at a Machop after it bullied a Poliwag. He began to glow a fierce red and actually _beat one up_ himself. A Machop, a Pokémon that can carry a couple of humans like it's nothing if trained _right_.

Shaking his head, Ash went towards the zone ahead of the others. The threatening blue tail gradually returning into his body.

The others soon followed after him, looking at Kaiser with disappointment. An elder should not threaten them because of that. Heck, Dratini are elusive and don't get found so easily. If one of _his_ time was there, it'd long become a Dragonair and obviously strong enough to protect itself against poachers.

Sigh, elders.

The group walked ahead a bit until they spotted various zones. Rocky mountains, forests, open fields, lakes, caverns… all kinds of locations.

"What will we do?" Leaf asked with a smile.

"Well… We decided to help you, Leaf," Ash shrugged.

They decided on helping out Leaf with the capture of unique Pokémon. They'll keep in contact with the Xtransceiver so they don't catch any doubles and they'll all be transported to Oak's Lab under Leaf's name unless a trainer finds a Pokémon they want to capture for themselves.

"Hmm," Leaf thought of it before shrugging. "Gary, mountain area. Ash forest, Caitlin lakes, Brock caverns and I'll do the fields?"

Ash chuckled a little. "Sounds fair to me. What kind of Pokémon are we looking for?"

"Anything except the Oddish family, Nido family, Scyther family, Kangaskhan family and Dratini family," was Leaf's reply with a shrug.

Nodding in agreement, the group went on their tasks. They never knew what kind of mess may happen during their trip, but they paid to stay there for an _entire week_.

They will camp out there. They promised to do so in the forest where Ash'll look for a location to stay at.

So for the first day, Ash prepared everything. He didn't meet any Pokémon he could or should capture - he ignored the pair of Eevees looking on curiously - and created a camp. An opening was now filled with chopped wood, tents that were made up, a fold up table, large wooden stumps to sit on for dinner, preparation for a meal and of course, small fences that were marked with repels in order to prevent any Safari Pokémon from wanting to get close.

Well… Except the pair of Eevees.

For whatever reason, the two Eevees were interested in sleeping in the tent and Ash shrugged it off letting them do as they pleased. He simply put up a sleeping bag for himself and told them they could sleep in there if it gets cold but also prepared a few pillows so some smaller Pokémon can join them.

It's not the first time wild Pokémon like to play, eat or train with them after all.

He later on that day noticed that Leaf returned whilst resting on top of a flying Altaria, probably too lazy to find them on foot, and saw the pair of Eevee sleeping on his lap.

"Aww.. Aren't they adorable," Leaf giggled with a small smile afterwards. She called out all of her Pokémon, now holding Altaria with her again. She sent the Flying/Dragon Pokémon on a small messenger trip to Professor Oak to give him the usual reports. Altaria thought of it as basic exercise, just like flying to Kalos is basic for Ash's Talonflame.

A shame Altaria doesn't like to battle - and so isn't part of Leaf's battle / main team - but she's still always with Leaf like Nidoqueen and Venusaur.

It seems Leaf had a good pair of captures though.

A yawning Poochyena came out of one of her Pokéballs and another held a Lillipup.

Those are pretty rare in Kanto at least. She must've been lucky to spot those little ones.

Seeing that it's only Leaf that returned so far Ash only shrugged lazily and closed his eyes. His Pokémon came out of their Pokéballs after a pulse of aura, pretty much telling them to do whatever they please but remain close.

Good thing most of Ash's Pokémon like to remain close to their trainer. Hermit went for some shadow boxing, Falcon acted like a pillow for Ash (a warm pillow), Glacia went to rest a bit in the shadows, Trickster simply stood guard for now as there was nothing fun to do and the Gengar enjoyed scaring a few Paras and Rattata by appearing from within trees, Pikachu and Meowth just slept against Ash - right next to the pair of Eevees.

Leaf giggled at the sight before she began to feed the little pups she caught and told them they'd be transported to a laboratory where they can stay, or come with her whenever they please. They can even stay at Delia's place if they wished and she told them about the Houndoom and all.

It seems the pups liked the girl though, so they wanted to come with her and train alongside her. Leaf just smiled and pet them, earning a lot of tail wagging.

The two young trainers of Pallet Town spent the day like that until it was night and the rest returned. Leaf eventually joined Ash for a nap though and Nidoqueen had to snicker at seeing Leaf sleep so close to Ash.

Definitely something to tease her with… Now where did she keep her camera again? Oh right! In her bag… She might need to ask Greninja for some help though. Walking off to Ash's Kalos starter, the Nidoqueen began to start an embarrassing night for Leaf.

 _You have to do something fun to pass time, right?_

* * *

Ironically the other three trainers returned at the same time. Gary returned with the capture of a Skarmory (and he went through a _lot_ of effort for that), Brock returned with a Carbink and a Roggenrola for Leaf. He captured a Shuckle for himself thanks to their natural abilities to make special recovery juice and finally Caitlin returned with a cute little Psyduck that seemed to have no headache and a pair of Poliwags.

They did see Leaf sleeping with Ash, pretty much half on top of him and drooling on his shoulder as he was most likely comfortable.

Caitlin could attest to that damn well and she'd admit that he's the best pillow ever.

Brock took to cooking and Gary had a scary smile as he made pictures and sent them to Leaf's mother, Ash's mother and his own grandfather. This'll definitely get hung on the wall..

 _'Mwahahahahahahahhaa! This'll teach them for doing the same when I fell asleep on top of Daisy's lap as a kid. Shouldn't have made me appear as a siscon, damn it!'_

Evil thoughts aside, they woke them up, laughed at their embarrassment and then had a pleasant mail. The two Eevee seemed to enjoy it along and nobody attempted to catch them either.

They were just too damn used to having wild Pokémon around them.

* * *

So like this, they spent an entire week in the Safari Zone. But the highlight of the entire zone had yet to happen.

Ash had caught several Pokémon for Leaf. He captured a Victreebel, a Parasect (and another for Brock at his request), a Cherrim and finally a Mothim.

Brock captured a Sableye, a Gigalith for at the gym, a Makuhita and finally an Aron.

Caitlin captured only two other Pokémon. A Horsea and a Feebas. Nobody told the Feebas it's ugly anyway. They knew they'd eat their words upon the evolution and the Pokémon deserved more respect than being called ugly and treated like a Magikarp.

Gary captured a Magneton, a Magby, a Hoppip which floated up and he saved from getting stuck by capturing it and finally a Solosis he found floating around weakly. Probably had its parent captured so he felt bad.

Leaf captured tons of Pokémon actually. She captured a Tauros, a Heracross, a Rhyhorn, a Doduo, a Ponyta, a Pinsir, a Starly, a Patrat and a _shiny_ Panpour.

Ash was still amazed a shiny Panpour was caught. Those are pretty rare, even in Unova, as they're called 'the second starters' due to their typing.

Worse. It had its hidden ability, Torrent. Ash felt like gawking at that rare capture. A female as well. Good fit for its evolution.

But the main event…

What would it be? What could it actually be, to be called a main event?

A pair of Eevee giggled as they were sitting on top of Ash's lap and had just been fed. Like before, the Chosen One was grooming their fur. It's time to show them the main event…

Two Eevee began to glow. Their forms grew larger and larger…

Until their tails began to get slimmer and they began to float. The tail extended further and a feline looking Pokémon came out of it. One was blue, the other was pink.

.. In front of Ash were two Mew. One being damn _shiny_.

In Ash's kind and loving words, which even Arceus herself felt; "By the holy tits of Arceus a pair of bloody Mew and one of them is shiny. What did I smoke or drink?"

* * *

Nobody would mind Ash cursing that loud, or rather, screaming so loud the entire Safari Zone heard it. His entire team rushed over only to gawk with Trickster being the main one at seeing _two_ Mew. He thought Aaron was lucky at meeting just one. Now his new trainer met one and a _shiny_ one too.

Gary soon followed and fainted right away.

Brock didn't even react. He was used to it by now. Kyogre was bad enough.

Caitlin laughed. She actually laughed so hard that it was possible she forgot to breath. _She knew that she felt psychic energy from those Eevee._

Leaf gawked, made pictures and sent them to Oak with Ash being the one on it in front of the Mews and his jaw literally reaching the floor in an anime-like manner.

That one's going on Professor Oak's wall. She's pretty sure.

"Aw c'mon! I was actually wanting to get you two on my team at the end before we leave…" Ash pouted childishly at the two Mew. He wanted the Eevee after they were so close and cute. He never even noticed that they were using transform as a Mew.

The shiny one giggled and fell over, falling onto the floor whilst the pink one began to float around Ash in circles, probably playing around.

" _Yes, we thought so too. But we wanted to see if you were strong enough to face your future challenge. It's a shame, but you won't capture me,_ " the pink one teased with a smile.

Ash blinked a few times. "Wait, what? Why didn't you mention the blue one?"

" _Oh? She? She's my little daughter. I feel like she might need some training and you can offer that. Battle against her if you will,_ " the pink Mew waved him off with a grin.

"W-wha? B-but…" Ash didn't know what to say. She wanted him to battle against a _legendary_ pokémon?

" _Fight, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. We legendaries need to test your worth, test your resolve. We want to see the warrior inside of you. Do not hesitate, do not run and walk forward on your road to become a Master, your road as the Chosen One,_ " let it be known that Mew can get serious if she wished to be.

Taking a deep breath, Ash eventually let out a sigh.

"Alright. I accept the challenge. Blue Mew… Heck, I'll just call you Skye for ease," Ash shrugged and the pink one thought of it before nodding. " _Skye sounds right. I like the name based on the blue sky, good choice._ "

Getting approval for naming a legendary. Yay. Ash can say he has done a lot now.

"Will it be one on one, or is she so powerful she'll need multiple opponents?" Ash asked the mother who thought about it. So many moves she had taught her daughter… Multiple opponents seems right.

" _Multiple. Is that acceptable, Skye?_ " she asked her daughter with a smile. The blue Mew, now named Skye, floated up and nodded cheerfully.

Ash chuckled as he looked around. He already gave up the thoughts of denying the battle. Why would he reject it anyway? "We'll look for a clearing. It's better to do that so that we don't ruin the forest and lives, but also ruin our camping equipment."

The pair of Mews nodded as they teleported the entire group away. The entire camping equipment had been placed in their bags which they could notice - seems like they were watching closely as Eevee - and they were now on top of an island. A floating island - the Mirage Island.

"We can battle here I guess…" Ash sweatdropped. Both Gary and Leaf had their Xtransceiver in camera mode and captured everything.

Oak, at his lab, was already preparing popcorn at speeds that'd leave a Ninjask jealous.

Taking a deep breath, Ash tried to call for his aura. Spreading it out further and further, he connected himself to his Pokémon and opened his now glowing red eyes. Around him was a blue glow and he smiled slightly.

"Now I don't have to issue commands. I'll connect my heart to them. I'll feel their pain… but that's a small price to pay for a chance against a Mew that'll obviously listen to my commands."

The mature Mew rose an extremely small eyebrow before giggling. " _Truly, the Chosen. You suffer alongside your Pokémon if it's necessary to win a battle… You've earned a small amount of respect already. Don't disappoint me this battle~_ " the pink Mew waved before finding a seat next to the other trainers, having teleported a comfortable lounge couch there.

"Alright.." Inhaling and exhaling, Ash's eyes began to glow fiercer. " _Time for battle guys. No pulls stringed. All weights and limits off. This is a battle against a legendary, a six on one. Let's give the Mew a fight,_ " he connected to them mentally. Gengar helped with the temporary bond as the Pokémon heard him loud and clear.

Falcon took to the skies as fast as possible. Pikachu was already using Nasty Plot and Charge to get ready. Meowth was doing the same with Nasty Plot and Hone Claws. Like before, Gengar used Psych Up to get similar boosts, Aurorus was already making mental plans in order not to disrupt the Pokémon their battle flowers and Greninja was using Power-Up Punch whilst shadowboxing, seeming to power itself up gradually.

The blue Mew simply giggled in amusement. So many boosts, so much power getting charged up… She was obviously a little cocky, but hey, she's a legendary Pokémon.

After waiting for everyone to get finished, Pikachu started off. Using Agility, the Pikachu began to run around the field and kept using it until pure afterimages of speed were made and small clouds of dust hid its figure. That was until Pikachu used a move he can barely use - _Extremespeed_.

The barrier of sound was broken that instant. A speed that far exceeded others before, Pikachu launched at Mew with a Spark attack as well and it was pretty much an overpowered Volt Tackle now. The Mew, at this point, expected a lot but… that was a _little too fast_.

Getting hit straight on, the Mew cried out in agony before glaring and using psychic energy as a shield and also makes her capable of attacking any enemy with it.

She completely forgot about the dark type and instantly felt it.

Hermit disabled his Protean on Ash's command and broke through the shield without doing anything. Trickster followed up with a pair of glowing red eyes.

Both got near the Mew, inside of the shield without the psychic energy affecting them. The Gengar in front of Mew and the Greninja behind. Seeing that it's a dangerous situation, the Greninja used a fast combination of Mega Punches and hit the base of the neck, spine, back of the head and lower back before using bounce to push the Mew towards the Gengar and get out of the shield.

Grinning darkly, the Gengar was fully charged with dark energy and now used a fully charged Night Daze at point blank. The Mew could _feel_ the surprising amount of damage as she was _blasted_ away with her shield gone. A red glow being all that was left of where the Gengar once was and illusions of Ash's team were made around the Mew to confuse it.

On Ash's orders yet again, Glacia used her hyper beam on the Mew while Gengar hid it thanks to his illusions, making the Mew feel like she was hit by an invisible, powerful beam and it blasted the Mew into a giant tree as well as freezing it there.

Next off came Pikachu again. While Mew remained frozen - and dear lord when you look at science ice is revealed to be conductor of electricity no matter how bad - Pikachu fired a fully powered thunder.

Thunder _roared_ as if going to _swallow_ it all and thanks to the boosts of Nasty Plot and Charge, it's a little overpowered. The thunder hit the frozen Mew and the tree itself making both light up before a massive explosion occurred.

Next off came Falcon's actions. Using Gust, the smoke was blasted away and it revealed a Mew trying to use Recover to make sure the wounds are gone so she can fight back.

Ash wasn't stupid though. He wouldn't wait for that, especially not for a Legendary Pokémon to do so.

The Talonflame instantly charged down on the floating Mew that focused more on recovery than defense and used Brave Bird to slam the Mew towards the ground where the Greninja launched multiple spikes and toxic spikes, making it an improved Smack Down.

The adult Mew looked interested. That's some good teamwork… far better than she expected actually. What is up with this Chosen? He's practically wrecking her daughter in battle.

Then again, her daughter is extremely young and has only learnt moves - not mastered. She hadn't completed the basic Mew adult rites either which meant master all basic element moves but still! A legendary was being beaten!

Caitlin giggled silently, "Pikachu alone hurt a Suicune before and let me tell you that my Entei has trouble when Ash uses two or more Pokémon. It's quite unfair to let him use all six on the poor thing… Ash won't hold back either. He's not stupid enough to underestimate a legendary, no matter how cute."

" _That… is concerning news. We, at the meeting of legendaries, thought it was with his entire team… No wonder Lady Arceus was giggling like a madman at hearing us speculate._ " The Mew gained a slight tick mark at the thoughts of Arceus now watching this battle and giggling in amusement. Heck, Mew wouldn't be surprised if other legendaries would watch it through Lady Arceus.

It seems that Skye had enough damage though. Soon enough, a Draco Meteor was fired up before countless Ancient Powers were sent all around the Mew in attempts to get them away. This was definitely something only a legendary can do; countless draconic meteors fell down towards the Pokémon and the rocks made of ancient energy would soon follow up.

A shame that Ash has defensive plans.

Walls of ice erupted to slow down the moves as all Pokémon except Falcon got behind the Aurorus or on top of her. Glacia began to focus all of her energy on Mirror Coat and a few others began to focus on Protect to defend themselves. A perfect teamwork while Falcon kept his distance and even used _gust_ to blast more meteors towards Glacia's Mirror Coat.

" _Well, well… That is a perfect counter tactic. I've never seen a way to defend like that, but that must be because Pokémon usually fight alone. Such teamwork… He's definitely connected to his team. He's also gripping his arm in pain which means Brave Bird also hurt him and his pain resistance is a lot lower than the Talonflame's,"_ speculated the Mew while watching the battle. This truly was interesting. A boy was overpowering a - even if young - legendary with smarts and power.

The Mirror Coat began to glow brighter and brighter, absorbing all damaging hits whilst the Aurorus felt nothing thanks to multiple protects defending her body. That was, until it was time to fire back.

The Mew, now seeing the Mirror Coat only had one thought…

" _I shouldn't have gotten cocky…_ "

What came next was the strongest move Ash had ever seen. Doubling a moves' power which was the strongest dragon type attack charged up by ancient powers which was all used by a Legendary Mew… fired as a white beam.

A white beam that definitely fired at the Mew.

Mew didn't, or rather couldn't, move.

The beam blasted apart the earth it passed by, melted the dirt like it was nothing and was sent straight towards Skye, the blue Mew. Before the Mew was hit, it was teleported away but what happened next would forever be engraved in the ones who watched this.

A normal team of Pokémon caused something akin to a Judgement of Lady Arceus. Half of the Mirage Island was covered in an explosion of pure white. Wind blasted away trainers and Mew and pieces of rock, trees and steel were sent their way.

Seeing the danger of what was happening, Ash got serious. Using aura like he had before, he created another limb and also coated his entire body. His reserves were almost _halved_ because of that, which speaks of the amount of aura he now wasted. Remaining connected with his Pokémon, he stabbed the tail of aura into the ground and returned his entire team before anything hit them as well. The pure shield of aura protected his body from any pieces but he took to dodging all the other, larger things before guiding himself in front of his friends and standing next to the pink Mew that held a blue one in her arms.

Guiding two arms in front of him, Ash used the last half of his aura reserve. A pure blue shield was made to block wind, dirt, rock, wood and steel. Ash managed to hold it to the point his coating of aura came into his body and the tail gradually disappeared making him stand on the ground that was hard to remain balanced on.

"Won't… let them… get hurt!" he grit out. He really wouldn't have used that Mirror Coat plan if THIS would've happened. Maybe he overdid it.

Maybe.

The explosion eventually added and Ash fell down on his knees panting for air. He expended more aura than he had ever done before and truthfully, he almost felt like his _arm_ faded away. Luckily, nothing happened as the shield gradually returned aura to him to a point he was a quarter full again.

Ash nearly collapsed if it wasn't for Brock and Caitlin to worriedly grab him. He definitely exhausted himself for that and the pink Mew was far too busy maintaining a protect around her and her child as well as to stop the rubble that was falling from the skies with barriers.

Chuckling a little, Ash looked at the two of them. "If that wasn't a legendary class move, I have no idea what is," he joked a little before closing his eyes and falling asleep right away.

He was tired, exhausted even. He needed the sleep and both Gary and Leaf rushed to him as well. They were furthest away from the group so they couldn't catch Ash before the other two did.

Leaf and Gary could only stare in awe as they recorded Ash's actions. From the Mirror Coat to the use of Aura in the direst time of need.

Oak, at his lab, dropped his popcorn in awe. His student _won_ against a legendary and managed to use a combination of moves to create an attack that _far_ exceeded the power of normal Pokémon.

Not just that, but he used aura to protect his friends. He saw it all… and broke out in a smile. Tears of pride and relief were in the Professor's eyes. He felt relief nobody was hurt because he saw Ash breathing on camera and he definitely stored the file away.

Delia had to see it. She had to see her son become a man, enough of a man to protect his friends from such danger at such a time.

Isn't this what many would call… an ending for a _boss battle?_ What a trip to a Safari Zone.

 _Lady Arceus was lucky though; had he had the same amount of Aura as Sir Aaron of the past, he would've passed away with his friends. Thank Herself for allowing a human to be born with such an amount of aura. Aura on the same level as a legendary was expended just like that._

* * *

Ash was out for an entire day. That entire day, the group was on top of the Mirage Island.

The pink Mew transformed into Ash to deal with Kaiser and promptly tail slapped the man for trying to think they were attempting to steal a Dratini or something similar. He tried to make them reveal all of their Pokéballs and try to call out all of them.

He better know his damn place. Is it not a Safari Zone because Pokémon in it can be captured? Mew was not amused.

That same day Skye, the blue Mew, was staying with Ash and feeling a lot guiltier than expected.

Had she been serious from the start, such a move might've never happened.

Had she been stronger, that might've never been possible.

Had she been a proper legendary, she would've used protect to help out the Chosen and his Pokémon.

So many doubts, so many self-depreciating thoughts. The blue Mew, for once, felt guilt and a horrible amount of sadness.

A gentle voice reached her mind though, **" _Young Mew, do not feel so sad. You have done your task; you tested the Chosen One._ " **

The voice was beautiful, divine even. A voice that was feminine of source, sounding like she had been gifted the voice of Heavens. A voice only Meloetta shared with this being.

" _L-lady Arceus?!_ " the Mew was shocked at being contacted by the Almighty One.

 **" _Do not fear, child. You have not angered me, no, you have shown me what my Chosen One is capable of. I wish for you to think of joining him on his journey. I do not intend to force you; I wish for you to think. Do not do it because I wish for it either. The Chosen One has done something that even I had not expected in his growth. Truly, only Celebi and Dialga know of what he can do but even then there are countless future possibilities._**

 ** _Young Ash has made me feel pride for once. Not just for actually defeating a legendary, no matter how young, but also how he acted afterwards. He had no idea how strong the Mirror Coat would be but after seeing the blast he acted and saved his own Pokémon, his own family. He then went a step further, something your Mother should have done actually, and protected the friends. Perhaps, he protected even you and your mother._**

 ** _I might need to have a talk to your mother though. That behavior was not fit for one as herself. She only focused on you in such a time of need and completely forgot about her surroundings… if the Chosen One lost his friends at that moment, imagine the despair. For this, I am thankful I granted him so much aura upon birth. Even if it was unrefined, he managed to create a shield._**

 ** _Once more, I wish for you to think of joining him. Not now, perhaps not in the close future, but further on. Think about it, young Mew._** **"**

The voice of Arceus, the presence of the Almighty One disappeared at that moment. Ash seemed to have woken up as well as his eyes gradually struggled to open and the blue Mew instantly transformed into a human like figure - similar to Latias' ability to transform into a human girls.

"Are you alright?" The only difference is that Mew transformed a voice box as well. The childish voice of perhaps an eight year old reached Ash's ears. Looking next to him he could see it. A young girl in a blue dress, dark blue hair that reached the lower back and a pair of chocolate brown eyes. Worriness was seen within them and Ash blinked a few times to confirm it.

"Skye, I think?" Ash asked in a hoarse voice. Hearing his voice, the transformed Mew quickly grabbed a glass of water and carefully made Ash drink it.

"T-thanks for that, Skye," Ash smiled a little.

That smile disappeared quickly, "I'm also sorry… I didn't mean to harm you _that_ much. If Mew hadn't teleported you away, you might've died no matter if you're a legendary…" the amount of _guilt_ and _worry_ in his voice made the transformed Mew stare.

He could've died. He could've disappeared and never come back. He overused his own aura… and he's worried about her?

This… This is the Chosen One that many legendaries think of as an insult?

It's also good for Ash that he had luck. Many legendaries, such as the titans of Lightning, Fire and Ice dislike the idea of a Chosen One. Who needs a human? Why would they need protection? Ash so far had only met the understanding legends. Surprisingly, Kyogre as well.

Honestly, the boy was _far_ kinder than any other _legendary Pokémon_ she had met. Well, except Arceus, Celebi and Jirachi. Those three are kindness personified.

"Don't worry!" She smiled brightly, trying to cheer up the boy. She wouldn't let him feel sadness as hypocritic as it is. Heck, she felt even worse now that she knew the boy was _that_ worried about her as well.

"Oh. Your friends are fine as well," Skye told the boy with a small smile. Hearing that, the smile on the boy's face seemed to radiate happiness.

"I'm glad… I don't even remember what I've done at the end. I felt a lot of pain, as if my body was gradually giving up and disappearing. I remember forcing my aura to get around my body and that exhausted me. I returned my Pokémon from harm and then jumped in front of you guys but that's where it ended…"

Hearing that, the transformed Mew nodded.

"Don't worry! It's all okay. Meema will also restore Mirage Island to its normal self so that'll go well… Lady Arceus is mad at Meema though. She should've done more according to her," the transformed Mew was perhaps a little naïve to tell a human that, but Ash just chuckled.

"It's okay. I hope Arceus doesn't punish her or anything."

"I know right?! Also… She said she was reaaally proud of you! You could hear it in her voice!"

The young Mew seemed to be a naturally cheerful Pokémon. Well, most Mew are. This one was still so young that it spoke of secrets a little too easily such as the contact with the Almighty One but Ash just shrugged that news off.

He knew Arceus was there. He could feel it somewhere within himself. That feeling of being watched by something _far_ more ancient than _anything_. That feeling of being judged at any moment.

But he can ignore that. He had a journey to follow.

"How long have I been out?" Turning on his side carefully - he could feel all of his muscles ache. Perhaps an overcharge of aura - he looked at the little girl.

Honestly, if he had watched anime as a child he would've screamed 'Wendy the Dragon Slayer' but he never watched it.

At least not that one.

"Mm.. Only a day. Your Pokémon are being taken care of outside by a hypnotized Nurse Joy. Your friends are already in Fuschia City, waiting for you with my Meema. But I won't let you leave your bed until you're fully healed!" She puffed up her cheeks and folded her tiny arms, looking like a little tsundere.

Ash couldn't help but chuckle at the cuteness.

"Okay, okay… I wonder if that's how it feels to have a little sister," Ash teased a little and the transformed Mew giggled.

"You might as well be a child of Lady Arceus as the Chosen One," Mew admitted.

"Mmm.. True. Also, does my mom have any connection to Giratina? I swear her smile is that scary…"

 _Another road had been followed and passed. A boy beat a legendary, even if young, and managed to do something nobody else had done._

 _Befriend a Mew. They spent a few days with only each other as company and they spoke of their pasts and journeys. Their dreams and wishes. The two, perhaps, became similar to family._

 _Within her own dimension, Arceus could only look in pride. Her young Chosen, her young son. Even she had a small laugh at hearing the comment about her third child, Giratina, if he had a connection with his mother. Maybe she should do that for fun? Being an Almighty One isn't fun if you can't cause a little mischief… Plus Giratina might like the woman. Her son had been a little grumpy lately since he hasn't had any fun - or good food - for ages. Food for thought._

* * *

 **And that's that, ladies and gentlemen!**

 **What do you think of this chapter? A little tease about capturing Eevee, only to be _shocked, surprised_ and _challenged_. **

**Growth, not just as a trainer, but also the Chosen. He protected with the risk of his own life with no second thoughts. Something makes even Arceus proud.**

 **Thoughts were made of joining his team. A young Mew would be interesting would it not? A young Mew, that is shiny, and can transform into Wendy Marvell from Fairy Tail. D'awww...**

 **A great battle against Koga. A close one too, if the collapse of Greninja was noted. Ash made friends and learnt something elite trainers do and honestly? It's something quite logical too. He didn't know because he focused on _growth_ and not _resistance_. Naturally, Oak does not spoil _anything_ and lets the children do their thing with the Pokémon Encyclopedia.**

 **So, capturing a lot of Pokémon for Leaf and Oak's research. A small reunion. What will happen next? Another exciting adventure? Perhaps the ancient Pokémon underground will wake up. Oh so many things can happen.**

 **Know this readers as I need to write this ahead of time, it won't be a Kabuto/Omanyte and their evolutions plus an Aerodactyl. There'll be all sorts of ancient Pokémon spotted down there.**

 **On that note… Feel free to review! Tell me what was bad, tell me what was good! I'd love to hear your opinions so I can improve! ( I won't tell you what will happen next on the Road of the Master this time, mwahaha! )**

 **See you all next time (next week if given the chance to write)!**


	13. Road of Troubles

**Hello everyone! Today's chapter is another one that came up! Now, here is the Road of Troubles. Ash is forced to improve himself, not his Pokémon.**

 **Bonds are made. Bonds are tightened. Welcome to the chapter of Valentine, perhaps. What a nickname for a Pokémon this chapter.**

 **I hope you guys will like this. The previous chapter has shown more violence and this chapter was meant to explain it. It seems like only one person has noted it though! Well, it just means it's not _that_ important. **

**Reviews comin' in!**

 **: Elesa join his journey? Now you're making a _very_ interesting idea pop up. Cousin eh? How would Caitlin react if her cousin acted all cozy to Ash when he arrives at her place. Hehehe.**

 **Xperior: Must've been last chapter's Mirror Coat. Heheh, I kinda intended it to be overkill. Still, true story about that.**

 **Brie45: This chapter. I won't say more.**

 **Vital Info: The magikarp part… Ehm, survival. I think you might know what I mean with this; a part that hardened them as well but it is the way of nature. Ash ate one in the anime too. The Magikarp were used indeed. (Don't shoot me for making kids do that?)**

 **Mark: Caitlin hug ash? Ha! She's far too ladylike for that! Maybe a bit tsundere. His friends'll do it for her. She'll definitely be relieved though! This chapter'll answer your review.**

 **Guest (Cycling Road & Caitlin review): Thanks for the compliment! I tried a unique touch for once. This chapter'll have more since I had to think of a way to involve the winter that popped up in the anime, even if it can be avoided. I also skipped a bunch of other episodes that shouldn't matter much other than increase something that Ash shouldn't need.**

 **Anyway! Enjoy this chapter! A rule of mine gets broken, but eh. What are rules for anyway?**

* * *

Having had a comfortable conversation with Skye now that all the action was over, Ash fell asleep. He was obviously still tired and needed the rest.

" _How is he?_ " A pink Mew teleported into the building, next to Skye.

Not even surprised by the sudden appearance, the transformed shiny Mew looked at her mother. "He's alright. Lady Arceus is a little angry at you, meema. Just a heads up."

If possible, the pink Mew became the first white Mew just by hearing that.

 _That's not good news, not at all._

Skye, who began liking the name given to her, turned to Ash and began to clean his face a bit with a wet towel. He got a little sweaty from the heat of the small fever he had so she needed to clean him up just a bit.

" _What else did Lady Arceus speak of?_ " the mother tried to think about other, happier things.

"Oh," the little girl thought about it before giving her mother a giant grin. "She said that I should think of joining his team, on his journey. It sounds interesting! But I don't want to yet, I want to see more of his progress and how he does it before I decide. It'll be different compared to training with you, meema."

The elder Mew could only nod. This was a decision of the Almighty One. A Mew couldn't reject that, no matter what. It also seems her little girl liked the boy enough to actually travel.

Mew always liked spoiling her little girl. She was one of the few Mew who was granted the privilege of having a daughter after all.

Thinking about who she would travel with, if she wishes to, she had to admit he's a good trainer. To use a Mew that can learn _any_ move, it's quite easy to see how he'll play. The boy also showed competence far above the expected; far above the norm.

After all, did he not defeat a legendary, no matter how young, with a team of six normal ones? He wasn't even on his journey for a year and he managed to do this!

Then again, he did have the advantage with two dark types and other various tricks. But that's the smarts a trainer needs to make use of; smarts that Mew can respect.

It was strange to think like this. Mew felt happy for her daughter but the chance of losing her made her saddened.

But she took comfort in the fact Skye didn't want to join _yet_. She could visit too, perhaps.

For now, they had to take care of the Chosen One. He did get hurt because he protected them after all.

Looking at Skye, the mother Mew gained a devilish smile.

 _Seems like her daughter is getting attached. Such a peculiar trainer_.

* * *

Days passed by pretty fast. During his recovery Ash spent most of the time with Skye and his Pokémon that now took to training even more.

Their trainer got hurt. Not because he did something stupid, but because he needed to _protect them_.

It touched their hearts; really.

But it also unlocked a stubbornness that will become famous in the future.

After all, when your trainer dares to risk his life for you… You return the same to him with vigor.

Ash did not know at the time. He did not know the amount of respect he gained. He never figured it out until much later when he and his Pokémon stood at the top and he asked while reminiscing of the old times.

His bond with his family was far more than just trainer and Pokémon. Far more than just friends. They've become family, they've become comrades in arms. Equals.

Not just because Ash can use aura and fight Pokémon head on; no no.

Because Ash has the heart to protect his Pokémon from harm no matter the costs. Not just that, but also his friends and strangers such as Mew.

Most of the day Skye would come over to Ash and ask about his life, ask about how he learnt what he knows and what he has done to prepare himself for this journey.

So Ash told her; his childhood where Gary and he were attacked by a Golem only to be saved by a Lucario and later on meeting a Gallade. How they unlocked their power and how Ash became slightly different from the norm. How hard he tried to learn everything, how he made an encyclopedia which helps a trainer train his Pokémon, how he made friends with wild Pokémon and his small travels. His exciting ones that involved riding Dragonite and dodging Fearows to his sad ones that he had to save a golden-coloured Charmander from trying to end his own life. From there he went on to how his journey started. Getting his Pokémon, traveling, training, events, meeting Ho-oh, Kyogre and so forth.

When she asked what he wanted to do next, Ash had to think.

Brock liked rock types more than anything else, Ash knew this. He also knows that the Grampa Canyon will soon open up to visiting trainers to have a chance and mine for a fossil. Finders keepers.

Go there first and then start going for Cinnabar Island? It seemed the most logical choice here. If he beats Blaine he can enter the Pokémon League Tournament.

Definitely going there, no matter what.

How will they go to Cinnabar though? They have no Pokémon to surf on. They could fly but that's a lot of trouble if someone were to fall off or water type Pokémon decide to go for some shooting practice.

Ash knew of that practice. It was very obvious when Dragonite, on a small trip to Cinnabar, had to dodge countless water guns.

Decisions, decisions. Perhaps Caitlin knows? He could ask her.

"Probably try going for some fossil hunting and restoring. Brock might like to gain an ancient Pokémon as a friend. Perhaps he'll get an interesting one."

"Fossil hunting?" Skye tilted her head somewhat. As a young Mew, she hadn't learnt of that yet.

"Fossil hunting, as we call it, is mining into a specific area that is known to carry fossils of ancient Pokémon. Glacia, the Aurorus with me, used to be a fossil as well. Humans can restore these fossils and give the Pokémon a new life," Ash explained with a patient smile. He finally knew of the Mew's age after all.

3 years old. A really young Mew if one were to look at it. Despite the fact this Mew had the power to match a Tyranitar in strength alone, it was filled with inexperience and wasted movement.

Clearly, Mew only focused on learning moves. Recover alone showed that it wasn't mastered.

Ash turned Pikachu into a fighting machine within the same amount of time and there were much less wasted movements. They're even creating new moves for the Pikachu to use.

That is but one of the differences between legends and the common. Legends who are satisfied with their power and the common who desire to surpass that.

"Ohh! That's amazing!" Skye smiled happily at the thoughts of humans making the older Pokémon appear again and make friends with them.

"Yes, but there are dangers." Ash sat up straight and moved his hand to pet her on her head, a recent trait he got after staying here for a week.

Who couldn't pet that adorable transformed Mew?

"Ancient Pokémon are, or used to be, predators. Whenever one is revived, aren't they confused?" Ash started with a small smile. "They can either react calm if they're intelligent enough to realize something is up, or attack in a frenzy. I was lucky with Glacia being calm, but if it were a Tyrunt or Aerodactyl then I'm not sure."

The young Mew nodded in interest. It's something new and important to learn after all. The ability to revive fossilized Pokémon is something very unique, which made her think of the possibilities.

"What about legendaries? Can those be restored?" Skye asked with a cute tilt of her head.

Ash shook his head to quickly deny that. "No. I don't think it's a good idea either; Lady Arceus would get angered. There's a reason legendaries disappear upon passing away, I guess. It'd also take a _ton_ of energy to even revive one. I'm not sure if it's possible to begin with."

"Ah. Too bad." Skye pouted before walking to the door so she could get something.

"Apple?" She asked with a smile, a smile that Ash returned. "Sure, I'm almost healed too so I'll get out of this bed too."

Seeing that Ash was determined to get out, the transformed Mew let out a sigh. "Fine. One pained cry and you'll get back in bed for another week!" Skye pouted with a very dangerous pair of eyes.

 _Those bloody puppy eyes! That's like seeing a Growlithe going without food for three days!_

"A-argh.. Fine.." Ash gave in quickly and walked up to his bag where he put on another set of clothing. Might as well get comfortable.

However, he didn't expect to hear a feminine voice. A voice that decided it might be best to talk to Ash in case he ever strays from his path. Because it is known amongst _very_ few that the Chosen Ones can stray from their path.

Ash has already acted harsh out of pure instinct thanks to the need to survive before. While he doesn't realize it, his actions are becoming far more aggressive than they should be.

 **"Young Chosen,"** a voice that Ash could only describe as divine, yet motherly. A deep feeling of love was heard through it, making him almost cave in surprise. Apparently, he wasn't the only one as Skye let out a small squeak. She probably didn't expect it either.

A chuckle of amusement passed through their minds before the voice continued. " **My name is Arceus, the Almighty One if you need confirmation. I have been watching you and came to a thought. I couldn't help but think as of late… How do you react when someone angers you?** "

Hearing that question, Ash - despite meaning well - had to think. "I suppose violently, Lady Arceus. I've had to do so for an entire month and made some crude tail with aura, I felt like I needed to harm those who threaten the ones close to me."

The Almighty One couldn't help but chuckle again. An innocent answer, but… _Isn't innocence the most dangerous thing of all?_ He also didn't mention what would happen if he himself was angered and alone.

The innocence of man that sought knowledge created the first Pokéball which started _enslavement_ of Pokémon. Only later on did it become a normal item and with it came the occupation of a Pokémon Trainer.

 _Arceus had to nip the problem at the bud with cases like this though._

" **You've been acting far too serious, far too hostile,** " the Almighty One started before Ash could hear a chuckle. " **You've lost your way already, Young Chosen. After all, why did you start this journey? What is it you seek?** "

Ash blinked a few times but then got a little mad. She doubted he knew why he traveled? "I'm traveling to make friends and reach the top! I want to be a Pokémon Master!"

" **Then why did you stop thinking about humans? After all, a Pokémon Master these days is not just a title. It is a rank, a rank that mankind gives to the strongest. It is mankind that makes you a Pokémon Master, not the Pokémon themselves. Have you forgotten? You've acted _far_ more hostile than before, understandable seeing what you've gone through in such a short time, but you must think about it. Haven't you noticed it? Your aura, the pure aura of the Chosen was red for moments. Those are signs of anger, possible hatred. The darker the worse… Do not forget; even the one who bathes in the light can fall to the darkness. I repeat; you are young. Focus on enjoying your journey for now, let the challenges come. Do not seek trouble, do not seek the darkness. Simply travel and enjoy; for a Chosen you may be but a child with a dream you still are. You already experienced more than the previous Chosen, who only started this at the age of sixteen, Ash.** "

Ash shrunk a bit at the words. True, he was less forgiving to humans… He can admit that he's become like that. The man threatened them with a gun and instead of trying to solve it peacefully, Ash reacted _violently_.

He's had to _survive_ in a forest for a month. In that month he experienced a lot, along with the fact lives are on the line. Before that, he was dealing with Team Rocket. The only reason he still used that crude tail is because it's useful to damage someone. Why does he use something that can cause pain?

Was his journey not for Pokémon, to travel and make friends? To earn the badges and challenge the championships to earn the right to challenge the elite? _To become acknowledged as the best?_

Feeling a little lost, Ash couldn't help but mull over it.

However, the voice still came to his mind. Arceus had to repeat some facts so that Ash wouldn't forget the main problem. " **You're young, Ash. Do not forget. You shouldn't trouble yourself with everything. Your friends aren't helpless either. The one known as Caitlin protects you by being a stronger trainer, the one known as Brock stays with you on your journey and shares your feelings as you go on. He trains, cooks, looks around and takes care of everyone. Including you. Do you see what I'm trying to convey, young Chosen?** "

Ash blinked a few times before biting the inside of his cheek. So many thoughts, violent and nonviolent went through his mind.

First, the troubles with Team Rocket. To be honest, other than the fact they hurt a girl because she refused, he could deal with them alright. What came next hit him harder.

He spent a month living on the edge. A month without other humans, not counting his friends, only to realize _humans_ made the bat Pokémon angry.

Just like with the Tentacruel incident after he met Kyogre.

Was he becoming like them as time passed? Sure, he reacted violently but… No, it was already at a very dangerous spot when he reacted violently.

Didn't he think that he shouldn't hurt people in the past? But those grunts hurt Pokémon. They wounded others…

Conflicting thoughts rose up as Ash struggled to understand.

A comforting, final voice was heard. Alongside it, Ash felt like he being held, held like a child by a mother. " **Calm down, young Chosen. You, who I can consider as a son, should take care to rest. Violence may solve things, but permanent solutions are made through understanding. That man in the safari, in an alternate dimension, would have met with the Dragonair who saved him in the past thanks to you. He would've changed, but now he has not. Do you understand?** "

Ash nodded slightly as the voice gave a final message. " **Take your time to decide your feelings. Be careful of what you choose, but in the end you must follow your heart. Is it not that heart that makes you, you? I will now continue my duty, and remember young Chosen; you are the one who either saves or destroys. All your actions have consequences. But for now simply enjoy; do not think of such heavy things. Enjoy and live your dream. I wish you the best of luck, young Chosen. For I am watching you.** "

Leaving him like that, Ash had one thought with a pout.

 _That totally didn't make him feel reassured..._

 _Nevertheless; he began to think. Think of his actions and his future ones._

* * *

It was only two days later, after a total of two weeks passed, that Ash returned.

It didn't matter that there was a cute little girl sitting on his shoulders. It definitely didn't matter that Caitlin somehow gained hearts in her eyes at seeing such a cute girl that can be dressed up however she wanted.

 _Girls_.

Ah well. It seems like Brock has his priorities and instantly walked up to Ash, putting an arm around his neck and gave him a playful one armed hug. "Welcome back Champ. Thanks for saving us by the way," Brock chuckled at seeing Ash blush for the praise.

That's a new one. He used to be more serious.

"Y-yeah.. Also, sorry. It was my fault to begin with." Ash apologized with a small smile. Seeing that, Brock burst out laughing.

"I see. Let's get going then. Gary and Leaf are worried, but they're resting in their rooms." Brock pat Ash's back as Ash, ignoring Skye's weight on his shoulders, walked on and followed Brock.

He did have to stare at Caitlin who realized that she was staring at the girl and gained a small, pretty blush.

"Sorry. Who is that cute girl, Ash? She's adorable," Caitlin asked with a smile as the little girl just tilted her head slightly.

"I'm Skye!" The girl introduced herself as she put her small hands on Ash's head, "Ash beat me while you watched, remember?"

"Ah? Me-" Before Caitlin could continue that, Ash quickly silenced her by putting a finger in front of his lips.

"I've been thinking Caitlin, but I've been a little too open about things. At the beginning I worried because I had such rare pokémon and now I'm doing the complete opposite. I'm _flaunting_ my team, and even if I'm very proud of them, it's dangerous to do so. The same for my abilities.." Ash bit the inside of his cheek. Admitting mistakes was hard.

Caitlin gave Ash a small smile as she nodded in agreement, "It seems like you've had time to think… Have you calmed down somewhat? With my - admittedly limited - control of psychic abilities I could sense that you were on edge all the time."

Brock laughed a little, "Yeah! He's definitely calmed down, can't you see?"

That was the moment two blurs tackled Ash - along with Skye - into the grass. Two figures, one male and one female.

"Ash!" Shouted the worried male, whereas the girl just silently held onto her childhood friend in worry.

"Are you okay? What the heck man, that was just way too much - even for you!" Gary grit out in worry, his usual green eyes nearly showing tears. The girl now recognized as Leaf just cried a bit in happiness at seeing he's fine again.

"Owow…" a small voice squeaked out as a little girl got away from underneath the boy and glared at the two figures on top of her _possible_ future trainer.

"That hurt, meanies! Also, don't tackle him like that! Ash still has some sore muscles," the girl huffed a little and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Eh? Who're you?" Gary blinked at seeing such a little girl. The hair color alone made her unique.

"Skye, nice to meet you! Ash gave me that name," the girl replied happily as Gary blinked a few times before staring at Ash in wonder. He wasn't the first Professor's Grandson for nothing after all. He instantly figured it out.

"She joined you?"

"No way. She's thinking about it, I'm not forcing her even if I won in battle. She has a choice."

"Good decision… Now let's get some drinks and get on the road. You've missed a lot Ash. We need to get to Grampa Canyon within a month if you want to join the fossil excavation too."

"Eh? Isn't that enough time?" Ash asked curiously.

Gary gave him a flat stare. "With you? You take detours beyond the norm if it comes to it. I remember the event with Charmander, instead of just catching him you actually asked Dragonite for a trip to the _Charific Valley_. _A hidden location_ , Ash."

"Eheh… Okay, true," Ash admitted with a small, embarrassed smile.

Leaf just watched in amusement now that her worries are gone. It also seems like Ash was less tense too.

 _Things are finally starting to get right again._

* * *

After a quick break, purchasing some new items in the Pokémart, both Gary and Leaf decided to go ahead of the group. The two admitted they'll travel together but will get a headstart to reserve some spots in the fossil excavation for the group.

As always, Ash thanked them with a giant grin. He wondered what else he might find there.

After they left, Caitlin told them of Darach and how she intended to ask him to get a cruise for them to Cinnabar. The reason?

"You need a break, Ash. A little cruise will give you just that; besides… You have enough time. After Blaine, which I'm sure you'll win, you'll have all the badges needed to compete in the league. There's no need to rush after that… that means you can train all you want after Blaine."

Ash had to admit that that is true. They're, what now? Seven months or less into the journey. Heck, Ash completely forgot about the time but he knew it hadn't been _that_ long yet.

Taking the training months, small adventures, camping and calm trips as well as his recent recovery it sure has been a while since he's seen his mother. He better write to her. Maybe a video message? XTransceivers can do that.

"We do need to go past Neon City for that," Caitlin commented with a sigh. "It's known as a gambling city. If anything, I'd prefer we don't go through it at all. A good thing is, is that Grampa Canyon is right next to it. Can we just avoid Neon City?" She asked Ash, who was pretty much the one who decides.

Ash shrugged. "I don't mind. It's just a city; no historical value or any interesting sights that would make me want to go there."

Brock nodded in agreement, "We'll first go through a forest, then reach the area where Articuno is known to be seen and so we need some warm clothing. You think I made you buy those winter clothes for no reason? After that, we'll pass by the Evolution Mountain and reach Grampa Canyon. After going through Grampa Canyon… Hm. Talonflame could give us a lift there if you don't mind; we'll be taking a lot of Darach's time otherwise."

Ash tilted his head before calling out Falcon to confirm the question. The answer?

" _I'm insulted you thought I would mind. Of course I do not, Ash. You are my trainer, my family. Your friends aren't heavy or anything so feel free to ask for it more often. I enjoy flying with you after all._ "

Ash gave a small embarrassed smile at that before asking if the Talonflame wished to be returned. The Talonflame simply nodded before giving Ash a playful nip at his head and returned without any problems.

Pikachu eagerly came out of his Pokéball, Meowth soon following up as they jumped on his shoulders. " _We'll come along the trip! We'll go through the forest I was born in. Meowth can translate so you don't show your aura abilities to others if they see you,_ " Meowth confirmed that.

"Pikachu's right, Ash. Ye've been talkin' too much with Pokémon and show too much. I'm a former Rocket member so I know they'll go after you when they find out. Probably put you up for dissection ta find out how ta do what ya do."

Brock and Caitlin nodded in agreement. It's a shame to admit; but it was true. Ash had shown his aura abilities rashly the last few times. The Safari has shown as much with the tail.

"Come to think of it…" Caitlin mumbled as she looked at Ash. The three were now going on their way to the forest where Pikachu was born, "Why do you make a tail?"

Ash shrugged, "I just thought of it as useful. Tails can be used in various ways but my control is lacking. Then again, I can do just about anything, it's just a form made of aura. If I learn how to control it then I can do other things too. You saw how much aura I waste with the tail, it just escapes the form."

Brock chuckled a little, "Just shows you aren't perfect, Ash. Nobody is, nobody will be. Even Arceus has made mistakes and isn't perfect. You learn from what you do wrong and grow after."

In another dimension, the mentioned being nodded in agreement.

Ash let out a small sigh.

"Yes, I can admit that that is true. It's just that I don't want to make mistakes I will regret. One would be if I lost any of you. We may have been friends for a short time but you two are of the few I have," Ash gave a small smile. "Human ones, that is. Lance is just one of the few."

Caitlin gave a sympathetic look. She, who was raised in the riches of her family, knew that problem in a different aspect. After all, wouldn't the greedy parents try to make their children become her friends so that she'll help them out?

Brock chuckled a little. "It seems we're similar, Ash. All of us. I never had time to make friends when taking care of my little siblings," he explained as he saw the look Caitlin had.

Caitlin just gave a small nod. "People would use me for my family's money and/or Pokémon."

Ash chuckled a little, "Seems like we're just a bunch of misfits if we look at it. Normal people our age don't talk like us, or act like us for that matter."

Caitlin finally let out a small giggle, "What boy would challenge a Mew, blow up their island with the combination move of six different people and then protect his friends and Pokémon with an ability he hasn't even halfway mastered yet?"

Brock laughed out loud before joining in, "What boy would challenge Team Rocket out in the open? What boy would ride on top of Kyogre, challenge Suicune, sleep on top of an Entei and finally; speak with a Ho-oh?"

It's a good thing Skye stayed behind, or at least hid herself because she'd definitely mention the talk with Arceus.

Ash just pulled the cap to cover his face in embarrassment. Sure, he was a _little_ different but not that abnormal, right?

 _The laughs and giggles didn't end until they reached their first destination._

* * *

When they arrived they expected a small forest, not a massive one. One that looked like one of those ancient jungles.

Ash turned his sights to his first Pokémon and starter to reveal a pair of glaring orbs. "Pikachu, you said a forest. Not a jungle."

" _Oops… Might've forgotten that detail. Forests look big no matter what as a Pichu,_ " the Pikachu explained with a small blush on his cheeks, rubbing the back of his head not unlike his trainer.

Even without the ability to understand Pokémon, Brock and Caitlin have been long around to understand what was going on and what was being said so they chuckled.

"Don't be so negative, Ash. 'tis just a forest," Meowth pat Ash's head before jumping off and took his time to take in scents. A recent skill he's been trying to train.

"Pikachu definitely live here. There seems to be a bunch of Raichu too… A couple of Mankey and Aipom if I'm correct and finally a bunch of grass types I can't identify."

Ash nodded with a smile. "You've gotten better, Meowth. Imagine how you were when we first met."

Meowth grimaced, that definitely wasn't his proudest time. He was _extremely_ weak and with Ash's training, he felt like he could beat down even Persians.

He even beat a Gyarados, a Pokémon he never thought he'd battle in his entire life.

Meowth shook his head to get the thoughts away as he jumped back on Ash's shoulders. "Shouldn't Pikachu be led by a single Raichu though?"

Pikachu thought about it before shrugging. " _When I was born, there was a single Pikachu chosen as leader. Not Raichu as far as I recall. How about we look at the Pikachu first, before trying to see what the Raichu are doing?_ "

Meowth translated it for the other two who nodded in agreement. Ash let out a small sigh as he stretched his arms a bit to get some blood pumping.

"Hopefully it won't become another battleground."

 _Silly Ash. You should know by now that your life is full of them._

* * *

When the group arrived at where now both Meowth and Pikachu said the group was, they expected to arrive at a _lot_ of healthy Pikachu.

They didn't expect a _lot_ of wounded ones.

Somewhere, Ash felt like cursing Arceus for mentioning to enjoy his journey. If only briefly, his aura turned red again when it leaked through his hands. Though Caitlin noticed it with a frown on her face, she didn't mention it.

There's always something. How is he supposed to enjoy it?

Pikachu instantly jumped down to look at his fellow species. Seeing that the wounds were done through electric attacks meant that they were chased off by an electric types.

" _Who did it?_ " Ash's Pikachu asked the leader of the group. A tough looking one full of scars, definitely meaning that he had to battle for his life a bunch of time.

The leader's eyes widened at seeing such a strong Pikachu, before nodding weakly. " _Raichu happened. They attacked us after evolving, claiming to get the forest for themselves. We were in the way since those born with the ability to absorb lightning were forcefully kicked out of the forest and we were pushed in the back._ "

The Pikachu's pouches gave off a spark of electricity in anger and turned to his trainer. " _Ash. The Raichu kicked out the Pikachu._ "

Ash sighed slightly as he looked at Meowth and the Meowth looked back at him before giving a nod.

With grace, the Meowth jumped through the forest and began to use Feint Attack to hide his presence, starting his search for the Raichu.

"Brock, heal the Pikachu. Caitlin, take care of the younger ones and prepare some food. I'll go with Hermit to scout the area to see if there are no hostile Pokémon," an authoritative voice came out of Ash. The voice he gains when he needs to lead.

Nodding in agreement, his friends instantly went on with their task. Ash himself called out his Greninja before giving the Kalos starter a small smile. "We're going to sneak around and search for Raichu and any other hostile Pokémon. Can you use Feint Attack to hide me as well?"

Shadows approached Ash before he disappeared with his Greninja, now holding onto the Ninja's back he was flying around the area whilst covered in dark energy.

Good thing this forest had no dark types because they'd notice _instantly_.

Like that, another day passed as Ash had a _lot_ of ground to cover as well as place repels in order to prevent any pokémon from getting close. Meowth could ignore the repels by now so he'd return eventually.

* * *

It was nighttime when everyone returned. The Pikachu were treated and fed when Ash returned with Greninja and Meowth short after. His own Pikachu soon joined him as his starter jumped on his shoulder.

" _Any results?_ " Pikachu asked his trainer, who in return shrugged.

"No pokémon nearby. Repels were placed for defense, though they'll only last a night. Meowth probably found the Raichu so we'll go to them tomorrow.

"Ye. Found 'em when they were munching on Oran Berries. Probably from the Pikachu's storage locations 'cause I found empty hollowed trees. There's eight of 'em."

Pikachu's eyes darkened for a moment before returning to normal. This was a normal thing after all and he wasn't part of the pack. He won't leave Ash's side either; never did that thought cross his mind.

Ash was Pikachu's trainer, best friend and brother in all but species.

"We'll attack in the morning. Pikachu… Care for an eight against one battle?" Ash smiled at his starter who then began to grin so wide it was as if Gengar took over.

" _Yes! I'll look forward to that battle!_ "

Ash chuckled and called out the rest of his Pokémon for a meal and some rest. Training couldn't really be done in this area so that's a shame. However, Gengar did look at him and walk up to him.

" _You won't sleep so soon, Ash._ " Gengar _spoke_ instead of using telepathy. " _You need to start meditating. Now. Your emotions have been going wild and I can feel that you've been getting angry far too easily. An aura adept that gets angry so easily is no aura adept. Meditate and control your emotions, control your aura. Once you're capable of doing so, I'll make you train in aura. I hoped to do it later but in your case it's now or never since your feelings are influencing your aura._ "

"What do you mean?" Ash asked his aura bonded Gengar as he sat down on the ground, taking calming breaths in preparation for meditation. _He listens to his Pokémon as they listen to him._

" _How do I explain this?_ " Gengar looked troubled for a moment before deciding to wing it. " _Aura is the energy of life. Life itself is pure, calm and peaceful. When you're angered the opposite appears. Do you know of Xerneas and Yveltal?_ "

Ash thought about it for a while. The Kalos legends of the Pokémon of Life and the Pokémon of Destruction.

Yes, he could say he knew of them.

"I do, I suppose." Ash nodded to his Ghost/Dark Pokémon.

Gengar began laughing a little, sounding almost amused. " _Aura is like them; one of life and one of destruction. When aura turns red it becomes what Yveltal means; destruction itself._ "

Ash paled at the thought. Yveltal was known to take away life like that and… Wait, aura is the energy of life.

That means…

Paling even further, Ash immediately became as quiet as a corpse and Gengar for once showed pity in his green eyes.

" _Being an aura adept isn't fun. It's, next to allowing one to protect, dangerous enough to harm others. There's a reason only few still know of Aura's existence; those who know of it with dark intentions end up killing themselves when trying to experiment. Aura is not just an energy to control, especially not for a Chosen. You can end lives if you allow the darkness to swallow you. Lives you don't want to end. That is why meditation is needed, that is why we need to focus on you controlling your emotions. You may get angry, that is understandable, but you shouldn't let your aura mix with that anger. We'll finally start our training, understood?_ "

Understanding the danger of it all, Ash gave his Gengar a nod. He needed to do this not just for himself but others. He understood that there is darkness in him too but instead of rejecting that, he needs to accept it and seperate it from his aura.

Closing his eyes, Ash meditated. Meditated in the calm of the forest that unknowingly allowed him to progress so much faster.

After all; is he not surrounded by the life of nature? It's serene feelings entered Ash when he meditated and allowed him to become so much calmer, so much more rested.

He wouldn't need sleep. The next moment his eyes would open, he would notice that the sun was up again.

* * *

The group woke up a while ago to see Ash peacefully sitting in the usual meditation method. His hands were folded on his lap as he took inhaled and exhaled slowly.

Around him was a faint, blue glow. As pure as blue can be, it was nearly transparent and they could see that whatever he was doing, was also changing the surroundings.

The forest looked _lively_. Berries which were picked before grew already and the grass grew much faster around him. Plants grew in height and the beauty of the nature improved where Ash sat.

Almost like a throne, Ash was surrounded by nature. The Gengar, who has no need for sleep, could only _stare_ in amazement at what was going on.

He mentioned this was for emotional control. It is. He mentioned this was for aura control. It is.

But his aura reserves are so large, it leaks out when he tried to control it more. The leakage - which in normal cases is enough to provide a human with aura - went into the surrounding nature and filled it with _life_.

It was the first time Trickster had seen such a thing. In his previous life he has seen legends battle and the previous chosen use aura to save lives.

But not even Sir Aaron could do this to nature with aura that left his body. What has Arceus created with this boy? Even with the aura bond that he shared, he could feel aura pumping into his body and making him stronger. It was meant to actually lower his aura output.

If he had done this without Trickster the forest would've probably grown a few centimeters.

In return, there was barely any control. The aura manifestations that Trickster had seen were crude, raw aura that was forcibly made into the structure of _something_. It was so much worse than he thought.

Sir Aaron only used it a few times. He made armor around his legs and arms: gauntlets, greaves and shields. He used the Aura Sphere technique to actually fight and other than that only used his staff.

Ash's eyes opened to reveal a small glow within the normal maroon eyes. Serene, calm; he let it be shown within those eyes that would remind anyone of the colour of blood. The faint glow only made it far more creepier at first glance, but the second had shown that meditating helps him a _lot_ in surroundings such as these.

Trickster began cackling. It started slow but eventually became loud enough to scare many Pokémon awake.

 _Amusing! A Chosen One with raw power equivalent of an actual legendary Pokémon! No control, no teachings! Arceus really went out of Her way to create this boy! He'll do it, he'll make Ash the strongest of the strongest Chosen Ones that have ever existed._

So many plans. So many ideas. So many methods. They began to wake up in his mind as he recalled everything from his time with Aaron. The cackling only increased when he remembered something… Lucario was sealed in his staff, was he not? _He was most likely alive too_.

Ash had no idea why, but he felt like his own death was coming a little too close with that mad cackling of his Gengar.

The pack of Pikachu was holding onto each other in fear and the others that woke up could only stare in bemusement. That was definitely a ghost type alright.

Oh well.. It's time for Pikachu's match. Eight Raichu against Ash's Pikachu.

 _You'd almost feel sorry for the Raichu._

* * *

The previous anger wasn't there when Ash spotted the group of 8 Raichu just napping around lazily. Half eaten berries surrounding them, most likely the ones that the Pikachu had painstakingly collected to get through.

No, he felt calmer. Perhaps he should meditate a lot more? His body felt the energy too, it was as if he slept for days unlike before.

Smiling a bit, he let Pikachu jump off of his shoulder first and the Pikachu, without issuing a challenge showed the Raichu what it means to take away homes.

An iron tail, trained by countless hours of physical improvement and effort, slammed down onto the leader's stomach.

It was a trained Raichu, that much was obvious. Most likely left behind by a trainer and used to living the good life. No wonder the other Raichu were listening to him as the trained one is most likely the strongest one.

However, Pikachu didn't stop with that iron tail.

His paws glowed a pure white, slamming both down onto the chest of the Raichu to force it even harder into the ground. If the previous attack had woken up the group, the second move scared the group. Earth cracked as the figure of Raichu was slammed deeper into the ground by such a Pikachu.

Who would've thought a Pikachu could be such a powerhouse?

They didn't. Ash didn't either if his raised eyebrow was any sign of that. _Pikachu got a lot stronger than he remembered._

What came next was the call for rain. Clouds obeyed and became darker and darker until the previous sun was no longer there. The sky obeyed to the calls of Pikachu, who was blessed with the power of water itself. When he calls for rain, rain comes.

Drops of water fell down as Ash called out to Trickster for a little shield to protect them from getting wet. He knew it was a little spoiled to say so, but Trickster understood that Ash wanted to focus on that battle.

Pikachu, his starter, was most likely coming closer to the first steps of _elite_ Pokémon. He was at the point of passing by trainee level and entering the zone where aces existed, where the strongest stayed.

After all, such a small Pokémon, should not be capable of cracking earth like that. That is only achieved by training of borderline torture. Training that Pikachu did together with everyone else.

It's ironic, truly. The should-be-weakest is one of his strongest. Natural abilities aside, his Pikachu was a complete monster when in battle. A well oiled machine that battled like no other. A leader when called for as well. His very own Talonflame listened to his Pikachu as if he's the second leader of his Pokémon after all.

And that title was well earned. All of Ash's Pokémon that stayed inside of their Pokéball watched the battle themselves.

Water surrounded the Pikachu's tail as he twisted his body in a horizontal manner. Water was collected more and more as the single Aqua Tail extended thanks to absorbing the rain and seven Raichu were blasted aside and had gotten wet.

They had no lightningrod ability. Pikachu reminded them of what they had done to the Pikachu they scared off.

Lightning roared into the sky as the little Mouse Pokémon cried out in rage. Rage at the Pokémon that would harm others and take away when they could just live together and earn it.

The half eaten berries were destroyed by now as Pikachu's Thunder raced towards the eight Raichu. The one below him felt the full brunt of Pikachu's powerful electric reserves and the other seven that had gotten wet from the rain felt _pain_ beyond their imagination.

Was this judgement? Was this right? Ash had no idea; he just knew that Pikachu needed to get this out of his system. He knew his partner would not kill. Such a thing is not what his friend can do when all they had done is act spoiled.

His own Pikachu was kicked out of his pack for being different. The leader of the pack of Pikachu told them that the Raichu kicked out the Pikachu with lightningrod - most likely in similar conditions.

Perhaps this was hitting a little too close home for Pikachu?

Water rose again, obeying the Pikachu. It combined and combined until it became a wave of water. A wave of water that was pressurised like a wall and ready to sweep those in its path.

Pikachu used _surf_ and a wave appeared at his call.

Eight Raichu, in a short amount of time, were blasted off. Eight Raichu that took out a pack of Pikachu were now treated like a Pichu in front of that single, blue eyed Pikachu.

 _If the Raikou that sired Pikachu were to watch, the red eyes of that beast would only show pure satisfaction and pride._

Growling again, the Pikachu warned them with a final attack. _Charge, Nasty Plot, Nasty Plot._ Ash could see Pikachu increasing his power as the second thunder came and blasted the earth apart. Trees were destroyed, earth rose from its usual solid location as the thunder raced towards the Raichu in perfect accuracy.

Ash felt pride at that accuracy. He practiced damn hard on that with his starter.

Eight cries were heard as a massive explosion appeared, blasting the eight Raichu away separately. They wouldn't gang up on any other Pokémon like that.

Like that, the battle was over. Punishment was dealt and the forest now no longer had any Raichu in them to threaten the Pikachu their safety. They could now continue living as they pleased.

An elder Pikachu, much older than the others, only felt shame though. He knew of this Pikachu. He knew what had been done to that Pikachu in the old pack. To see that that single Pikachu became so strong… it's a shame but he'd never get the Pikachu to join them ever again.

Ash was thinking something differently… Pikachu was unlocking his blessing, most likely. Trickster told them of such a thing and Pikachu called for rain in order to use the moves.

So rain is a prerequisite to use water-type moves such as surf? Well, Aqua Tail worked with the moisture within the air so that was alright. Pikachu had a way to combat other ground types and fire types.

This may reveal some interesting ideas in the future. He'll definitely look into it.

Sighing, Ash took the lead to walk to his partner as the others were too surprised at Pikachu being so strong and brutal. Caitlin especially looked surprised because what she saw just now was _borderline_ elite. That Pikachu was already reaching _her Pokémons'_ level.

A Pikachu that is supposed to be weaker than them until he evolved reached elite levels. Now that is a surprise she had to admit was making her look at the Pokémon in wonder… and glee.

Ash will become a fine trainer if Pikachu was already this strong… after she leaves them for Unova to challenge the league and get the elite four status, she'll definitely look forward to seeing Ash again.

After all, Ash is strong. Ash is powerful not only as a human with aura but also his words and determination. Determination that went into his Pokémon as they trained and kept reaching higher.

"Well fought, Pikachu," Ash grinned as he held out his hand and Pikachu ran up on his arm to join him on his shoulder. Meowth began laughing as he remembered the Raichu's faces at finally realizing they messed up and joined Pikachu on Ash's other shoulder. Trickster went back into Ash's shadow, red markings appearing around the shadow's arms and legs again.

The surrounding Pikachu began to run up to them and cheered, dancing around. They were ready to celebrate being free, no longer contained by fear and wounds.

Ash's Pikachu, however, was silent before turning to the leader. He spoke with authority, matching Ash's when he told the group what to do. " _Find the other Pikachu that they kicked out. They are like me, capable of reaching this level. Tell them to absorb lightning attacks and add it upon their reserves gradually. They'll get closer and closer. Train physically. Learn moves that you do not normally. That is what I tell you, what you must follow. Understood?_ " The blue eyes of Pikachu began to glow not unlike Ash's, and almost as if it was willing to…

Aura seeped from Pikachu and Ash. Both of their aura began to mix before connecting and finally, a natural aura bond was made between Ash and Pikachu surprising the two.

Cackles were heard of amusement. " _Congratulations… You have made a natural aura bond with your first Pokémon; a bond that nothing can separate. Welcome, Pikachu, to the side where you have no limits in your growth and that growth will be much faster than others,_ " the Gengar's telepathic voice reached their minds, all of them, as mad cackles were going on.

It seems Ash actually made an aura bond naturally. No force, no willing. It happened because they were close, they were similar. Pikachu, who dreams to beat legends and Ash who dreams to become the strongest. Their dreams finally mixed as Pikachu gained the power of his blessing and with it, manipulation of aura no matter _how basic_ it is.

Meowth seemed to grin widely. He couldn't wait to join that level of strength… He'll show them all!

The Pokémon in Ash's Cherish Ball began to roar in agreement. They could feel it themselves; the desire to get stronger. The aura Ash naturally lets out changed and became different; there was now a desire to get stronger by training harder and harder. The Pokémon felt that.

Thanks to Pikachu connecting with Ash, his previous command sounded far more commanding. The leader of the Pikachu could only nod before starting to order all others to get ready as well as search for their lost pack members.

 _It seems there is no day for rest, but for once… Ash felt calm and happy. His bond with Pikachu shone brightly, even brighter than with Trickster's. Their hearts connected as did their minds, showing no secrets to each other and both comforted one another through their connection._

* * *

Another day passed by and the group now wore heavy clothing meant for winter. Pikachu was the only one out of his Pokéball as he felt much calmer by being close to Ash even if he had to stay inside of Ash's winter jacket.

A thick, black jacket was worn by Ash. The fluffy material at the end, no matter how aesthetic it looked, seemed to have an effect. Perhaps made of fur of a fire type? The black coat was clearly obvious in their current surrounding; pure white.

It was snowing heavily as if the usual hot weather in Kanto had no damn effect. They noticed as they walked away from the forest to go further that they were stuck in such a climate.

Naturally, they all changed. Both Brock and Caitlin wore similar outfits to Ash with Brock choosing a dark brown and Caitlin a lavender colour. The three were walking close to each other in order not to lose sight of each other.

"Seems like Articuno is having a snit or something," Brock muttered with a small sneeze. The idiot was the last to wear a warm jacket as he thought he could hold it out for a while.

Caitlin giggled a little at hearing Brock sneeze. You get what you deserve for acting tough. "Yes. This blizzard is unnatural… could Glacia help us out with this? I take it many wild Pokémon are having troubles as well. Glacia's help would be very appreciated now I guess," she explained to Ash.

Seeing the logic, as well as feeling stupid for not thinking of it, Ash called out Glacia. Almost like on command the blizzard no longer reached the group as Glacia's blue gems were shining brightly and the ancient Tundra Pokémon turned to the group with a kind look in its eyes.

" _You called, Ash?_ " the Aurorus asked, bowing her head down which Ash pet with a smile. It seems that the Aurorus still loved being pet just like when she was an Amaura.

"Yes. Caitlin has mentioned that this storm is unnatural and that wild Pokémon may suffer because of it… Could you help us out taking them somewhere safe as well as find a location to rest? I think there's a Pokémon Center in areas such as these to stay until a blizzard like this is over," Ash asked his fossil Pokémon who began to look around.

Blizzards were nothing for the Aurorus. Mt. Everstone was always full of them so this was as clear as day even if it had been a while to see such a sight.

" _I can see a light in the distance, yes. Would you like me to carry you three? It can't be heavier than the weights I wear when I train,"_ the Aurorus smiled as Ash chuckled a little. He later translated it to the other two who had fond smiles.

"It'd be great if you could carry us, Glacia," Brock started with a small shiver in his voice. He was pretty much having a small cold.

Caitlin bowed slightly to the kind offer. "I'd like to take that offer, Glacia," and like that the Aurorus carefully picked them up before placing them on her large back. It was pretty weird how the blizzard that was previously there didn't hit them.

While the Aurorus's back was cold, it wasn't as cold as they thought. Perhaps the Aurorus tried to heighten her body warmth for them? It was a kind thought.

Like that, the group departed towards that light they saw. They needed to confirm if it was a safe location before they'd attempt to move to rescue some wild Pokémon. They must be scared by now.

* * *

Nurse Joy thought she'd see many things in her life. Articuno was a surprise once, but this one is another.

In front of her stood one of the most beautiful Pokémon she had ever seen. As white as the snow, glowing blue eyes and sails that extended from its head to the base of its neck. Glowing, sky blue gems that were seen even in the distance.

It was like Nessi, or whatever the myths around some lakes around the world called it. When she looked closer the distinct figure had three others on its back and it gradually walked closer to her location.

The blizzard split apart as if on command. The one that was being ridden on must've been doing so.

She noticed that it also stopped around her Pokémon Center and the trainers that were resting at a fire seemed to notice her excitement, or that they noticed the faint glows through the mirror as they also stood up to watch.

She put on her jacket before rushing outside. Perhaps they needed help? Some trainers also joined her as they wouldn't want Nurse Joy to get hurt if it's a wild Pokémon.

Calm steps were made, almost soundless in the snow as if a predator walked closer. The closer the glowing figure moves, they could start seeing more details.

It wasn't a Pokémon known in Kanto so the trainers were obviously excited. Nurse Joy knew better however. Her sisters had told her of the Aurorus in possession of the trainer known as Ash Ketchum.

Seeing as they arrived, the Aurorus turned her head to the three figures and seemed to speak for a while before nodding. One of the figures jumped off as he walked beside the beautiful ancient Pokémon, meeting up with Nurse Joy and the trainers.

"Calm down you guys," the surprisingly young voice must've shocked the trainers out of their trance and want to battle the Pokémon, or capture it, as they turned to the figure that had his hands in his pockets to prevent any cold from getting to them.

"My name is Ash, the ones on Glacia's back are my friends," he nodded to the two other figures that jumped off once they were closer. Now they could see the massive Tundra Pokémon as it stared at them from above.

"Are any of you hurt?" Priorities straight as they should be, the Nurse Joy asked that question.

Ash smiled as his eyes began to glow just a bit. Aura was being used so he could heat up a bit and he shrugged away the cold. "No, we can deal with this," a Pikachu's head popped up from the jacket to hide Ash's mouth and its blue eyes were looking curiously at the Nurse.

"The fact is, wild Pokémon must suffer around here. We've decided when we got here to confirm if they're alright or if they're in danger to bring them to a safe location. Would here be alright?" the boy asked the Nurse Joy who nodded with a gentle smile.

"Of course! We will take care of all Pokémon. Even now, in the back, a lot of Pokémon are resting. Some Nidoran and their evolutions got here to hide from the storm. All grass types in the area are also resting inside. I think we're missing some wild Pokémon such as Chansey though. They're usually found in this area, even if rare."

Chansey had thick fat inside of their bodies so normal cold didn't affect them much. A blizzard is a different story altogether so Ash nodded.

"Caitlin, Brock," Ash turned to his two companions that perked up in interest.

"What's up Ash?" Brock asked his youngest companion with a smile.

"Can you help out Nurse Joy? Perhaps help with recovery or cooking. Your help would also be appreciated, Caitlin."

Caitlin asked the important question. "What will you do?"

Ash chuckled a little before looking at his Aurorus, "We'll confirm the safety of wild Pokémon. Give or take a few hours and I'll be back. It's also good training for Glacia to be in her natural environment."

Caitlin nodded. She trusted Ash to be safe so that was alright. She knew he could handle himself, "Good. I'll help out here then. If you meet any rare Psychic types, do tell me," she giggled as Ash shook his head in bemusement.

What psychic type would be in this area? It'd be stupid to be here.

A blue figure up in the sky, covered by the blizzard, let out a sneeze. Weird, she wasn't cold so why'd she sneeze?

The Aurorus let out a cry as a dome of ice appeared and formed some protection around the Pokémon Center. It definitely prevented the blizzard from reaching the windows so they could look outside and the roof wouldn't collapse from the heavy weight of the snow that was slowly piling up.

The trainers and Nurse could only stare in awe of the natural abilities of the Pokémon in front of them as Ash stroked the Aurorus' neck, before jumping on top of her back.

"I'll be going then. Be sure to take care of yourself, Brock. You've got a cold after all," Ash chuckled as Brock sneezed at that moment.

Glacia turned around giving an amused look at the trainers that no doubt had greed in their eyes. This was why she liked her trainer, honest and good natured and most importantly; fair.

They soon became a shadow in the blizzard as they walked away, searching for wild Pokémon.

* * *

Glacia walked with absolute calm through the snow as she was scanning the area. Right now, her trainer was simply sitting on her back whilst meditating.

Truthfully, Glacia wasn't sure what to feel about this situation. She _knew_ what caused this. After all, was she not one who did the same as an Amaura?

This was a Pokémon claiming either territory or trying to punish someone. Perhaps a human angered this Pokémon? Seeing the power of the blizzard the Aurorus guessed it is an Articuno.

Whilst rare, Articuno are one of the minor legendaries. She, as an Amaura, defeated a young one back in the day. Perhaps they've become stronger but that aside, she was still much weaker compared to back then.

Her snow, her mountain - they were no longer there. The area here does not belong to her and so she can't control it. That young Articuno in the past made a mistake to try and claim her area and a few well placed Ancient Powers finished the task pretty fast. Snow can be such a great diversion.

As she felt someone on her back lose its presence, the Aurorus became alarmed and looked behind herself. Sitting there was her trainer with a faint glow.

Was this what Trickster mentioned? Her trainer meditating to gain control of his aura?

The blue glow was gradually slipping into her body and the Aurorus could feel it - energy of an external source that was increasing hers. With this… Yes, with this she could do something that other Aurorus couldn't. The amount of Aura gradually coming inside of her body increased and increased until the Aurorus' blue eyes began to glow a fierce sky blue.

The Aurorus took a deep breath before letting out a _roar_. Snow began to stop, right in mid-air as if stopped by time before it began to fly upwards. Every single piece of snow flew upwards to reveal the world around itself. It didn't stop the entire area, but it made searching much easier now.

As her eyes began to glow a fierce sky blue, she began to scan the area. Coldness seeped from her body, not even nearing her trainer, as it scanned throughout the entire area. Whenever she hit the figure of a Pokémon, she knew and made that particular Pokémon slide on a field of ice towards her, almost like she was trapping new meals towards her.

The cold breeze didn't just scan, they pushed the Pokémon over the ice and it didn't take long to spot all of them.

Twenty-two Pokémon were found. 10 of them were Chansey and 2 of them were Happiny. The other ten… They were a clear surprise, even for the Aurorus. The Pokémon that came here were four Vulpix, one Growlithe and five Eevee.

Seeing as help is needed, the Aurorus began to lower its head to look at them in the eyes.

" _My trainer has come to rescue Pokémon. You can come with me towards the Pokémon Center where my trainer and his friends can treat you to some food as well as some proper warmth. I can see that you Happiny are pretty much freezing up._ "

The Pokémon who were spoken to nodded tiredly. Truthfully, they were thinking of ways to escape but they couldn't. This Pokémon is like Lady Articuno, one who controls ice. They'd be frozen before they could run.

Smiling somewhat, the Aurorus pointed at her back. " _Please get on then. My trainer is currently meditating so please do not disturb him,_ " the Aurorus lowered her body for the others to get on.

While she is large, ten Chansey and 12 other odd Pokémon was a pretty tight fight. The result was that a few Chansey decided to simply walk along as they could endure the cold and Ash was becoming a heater for the smaller Pokémon with his aura.

The Eevee all curled up against him. The single Growlithe put his head on the trainer's lap and the Vulpix was with the bunch of Eevee against Ash. Two Happiny seemed to have taken a liking to the warmth as well and rested against his back.

The few weaker Chansey that were too tired couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Glacia, still receiving aura from Ash's meditation simply walked on calmly. No snow was in her path now as she removed it from their path. Not a single cold breeze passed by them other than Glacia's natural colder body letting out some cold air.

Still, at least twenty-two Pokémon were saved in their first trip.

* * *

Ash had been away for at least three hours now. That was a long time for such a storm, but Ash's friends weren't worried.

Nurse Joy thought of them as crazy. A, around 12 year old boy, surviving such a storm? Even if he had a fire type, it'd still be harmful!

Those thoughts dispelled at the shadow of the figure returning and Nurse Joy alongside the few trainers from before and Ash's friends came outside to reveal a bunch of Chansey walking alongside the Aurorus.

Rare? Perhaps so, but they can be scanned out if they're the only ones around.

Then Caitlin spotted Ash on top of Glacia's back and giggled. "Always such a likeable person by wild Pokémon," she commented.

Nurse Joy blinked as she tried to look at the boy before bursting out in giggles.

A single Eevee decided to claim his head as a resting place during the trip. The other four were all curled up into balls and leaned against his leg. A Vulpix got on top of his leg with a Happiny right next to it and the rest just rested their heads or bodies against him.

It looked like Ash didn't even notice them. Seeing the blue glow, it was understandable.

" _Ash. We have returned._ " Glacia's voice could reach Ash's ears and like before, almost as if an achievement was completed another natural aura bond was made. This time it was with Glacia. Perhaps it is because they saved the wild Pokémon? Was it truly something like this that made him connect to his Pokémon? As if on cue, the Aurorus could _feel_ her power increasing to when it was when she first roared, perhaps a little higher and that remained there. That's quite a boost.

"I see," Ash mumbled before spotting a tail in front of his face and he blinked a few times. His arm reached up and pet the Eevee on top of him, making the Eevee purr in delight.

The normal trainers that tagged along were slackjawed at the sight. _Rare_ Pokémon for normal trainers were just cuddling up to that boy as if he's their trainer already.

Eevee were extremely rare. They were only given as prizes as eggs these days as Professor Oak called it cruel to hatch an egg and then give it away.

Growlithe were rarely seen as well, usually staying in hidden areas or the Safari Zone.

Vulpix were the same as Growlithe.

Now the Happiny were something none of them had ever seen. Chansey were so rare it's said they're only found in the Safari Zone and even then rare; let alone catchable.

Ash tried poking the Pokémon awake, "Guys? We've come to the resting spot… Wake up and can you please get off of me?"

Small whines and groans were heard from the Pokémon as they, with pouts, jumped off of the Aurorus that only looked amused at the sight.

" _Ash. You've been training aura again and keep feeding the excess aura to something… Can't you contain more inside of you?_ " the Aurorus asked her trainer, slightly worried if it ever happened to overcharge someone.

Ash shook his head. "I try to Glacia. It's very hard to contain everything."

Nodding her head in agreement, the Aurorus lowered her body and Ash carefully got off with the Chansey following him and _only_ him.

Seems like he made a good impression on them.

"Can you take care of these guys 'n girls, Nurse Joy?" Ash asked with a smile as he returned his Aurorus for some well earned rest. Of course, he thanked her before that.

' _No problem at all._ '

Ash blinked a few times before realizing the bond must've made them capable of speaking through their bonds. Ah, useful indeed. Perhaps it works from a large distance too? That'd be amazing for scouting reasons.

Nurse Joy snapped out of it before nodding and leading the Pokémon inside, who only came in after Ash did, and soon ran around him playfully now that they could feel the pleasant warmth. Various trainers seemed intrigued at the sight and some even grabbed Pokéballs.

The sight made Ash's hidden aura flare red just for a moment and soon returned to its usual blue before Ash let Pikachu out - who had apparently been asleep the entire time - and the Pikachu began to glow with electricity as a warning to those who grabbed Pokéballs.

Nurse Joy also frowned. "Any of you who attempt to capture these Pokémon will be thrown out and the Pokémon _will_ be released before you are. This is an emergency situation, not a situation to give in to _greed_." She definitely spat out the last word, making some trainers flinch and put all the balls back.

Bad idea indeed. Sometimes Ash had to wonder if he was like that when he saw Hermit, Glacia and Trickster.

Hopefully not.

Almost as if on cue, warm feelings went through the bond. Pikachu, Glacia and Trickster felt his feelings and tried to calm him down somewhat. It seems the bonds increased and he unknowingly shared his feelings… Intriguing.

Either way, the group had to stay _two entire weeks_ at this place. Of course, every day Ash would scan the area for any wild Pokémon and most of the time returned with one or two rare ones that were found. Heck, he even found a _Sneasel_ that was interested in fighting his Aurorus. The Tundra Pokémon thought of it as amusing when a single Iron Tail knocked out the Sneasel… ah well.

Must've been a young one that went over its head.

Either way, the Pokémon side of the Pokémon Center was quite full. The Pokémon were calm though and began to like the area. Perhaps Nurse Joy could have them around for not just help and entertainment, but also safety. Two Pokémon were different though.

Two Eevee began to take a liking to a few trainers that played with them and let them play around with their Pokémon. They'd most likely want to join that trainer after the blizzard ends and the trainer has to leave.

Sneasel and a few others, namely Growlithe, the Vulpix and the three other Eevee wanted to stay with the kind nurse that helped them out with small wounds from little battles. Heck, even the Chansey wanted to stay around and Nurse Joy did tell them they'd get sent to a special training school for medicine before they could join her in the Pokémon Center.

It seems that didn't stop hem as they all agreed and Ash chuckled amusedly at Nurse Joy who looked troubled. Maybe he was at fault? He got various Pokémon to join Pokémon Centers. Heck, Machoke at Viridian City told everyone enough.

But two weeks passed in total when the blizzard started to end and it just snowed normally.

Two weeks. They've spent a lot of time here.

"I suppose it's time to go," Ash grunted as he stood up. He spent two weeks training his Pokémon in this weather. It was very good training for them to withstand the blizzard and his team agreed. It seems that he also intrigued various other trainers that joined him to train their Pokémon and it just became a group exercise at the second week.

Ash gradually loosened up around the other trainers that always wanted to battle him and he indulged them to do so. Even if he won, he always pointed out mistakes to improve their battles and the second battle it would be much harder. In a way, Ash felt like a teacher as stupid as it sounded.

A 12 year old boy teaching trainers around his age or older. Ha!

Caitlin yawned as she gave a nod. "I suppose. Let's get going then… if we see Articuno, can I call Entei?"

Brock shook his head in amusement, "No beating up legendaries, Caitlin."

"Aw…" Caitlin pouted in disappointment. She took a particular dislike to the Articuno after seeing so many Pokémon end up in the cold.

"Well.. No time like the present. Pack up and we'll get going. Ash trained enough already and if we don't hurry he might just start training again," Brock joked at Ash's expense. Ash in turn gained a pout.

"I'm not that bad…"

""You are!""

* * *

As they left the field, they saw Articuno on top of a mountain and let's just say that Caitlin said some words that even made the legendary blush.

She wasn't a happy girl. Nope, not at all.

Especially when she mentioned the hurt and frozen Pokémon the Articuno seemed to flinch and froze when her eyes saw Ash, who was glowing a fierce blue whilst hidden behind his friends. He wasn't a happy camper either but if the Articuno got offensive against his friends he'll battle. Not just him, his Pokémon inside of their Cherish Balls also growled and stared at the sight of Articuno.

Like that, the Articuno seemed to _realize_ just _who_ that is and she _knew_ that attacking was a bad idea. Whilst she'd never let herself get caught, the Chosen One is strong. She already heard of the news that he beat the Kanto Mew's daughter and if he trained more since that time, it was obvious that even Articuno could get hurt. If his friends joined it'd most likely be her loss too.

Legendaries are capable of thinking and avoiding disasters. The Articuno, that was closeby just bowed her head a bit before flying off. Most likely to tell others of its find as only the Mews, Suicune, Entei, Ho-oh and Kyogre had found the Chosen One so far.

Letting out a small sigh at the sight, Ash shook his head.

"Troublesome legendaries. Sometimes they're like children, not that I can talk. Even I can lose myself to anger now…"

Seeing Ash admit that, Caitlin just gave him a small hug to let those thoughts go. He already told the two about Arceus's talk with him and they realized that Ash was indeed glowing red at times.

* * *

 _Two days._

Two damn days just to get to Evolution Mountain. When they finally reached it the first thing they did was grab a few stones that were _so obviously placed_ it made the group wonder _why_ in the name of _Arceus_ they never sell that many stones. Then again, it may be a protected area…

If it was then Ash was fast enough to tell them to stop. They each got a set of evolution stones, including the rarer ones. It amused Ash a little to see so many things on a mountain.

Is he a thief for doing this? Not really, there was no sign to stop them or placed at the side of the mountain. Free stones for him. Maybe it's just his luck?

 _Victini, hidden inside of a playroom danced around playfully. It seems his blessing helps out a lot!_

Probably his luck.

After their little lucky encounter, the group arrived at a tree where a little Eevee was tied to. Frowning in distaste at how the Eevee was treated, Ash grabbed a Survival Knife and cut through the rope and bent down to the Eevee.

"Hello. May I ask what your name is, and if you have a trainer?"

The Eevee looked up in surprise. Naïve as he is, this question was just strange. " _I'm just called Eevee by my trainer… He left me here to avoid trouble with his brothers but that was three days ago. He barely has time to feed me…_ "

Hearing that, Ash grit his teeth in distaste before sitting down in front of the Eevee and opening the Normal Type can of treats he has for Meowth. Meowth wouldn't dislike him for this but the Pokémon did come out of his Cherish Ball to look at Eevee curiously.

"Ye've been tied to dat tree for a while eh? Can I have some snacks too, Ash? Gotten pretty hungry for a while."

Ash thought about it before looking at his traveling companions. "How about we have lunch here?" Ash asked them so that they could all eat together with their Pokémon.

Caitlin and Brock just smiled. Seems like Ash tries to make everyone happy with the choice. While they weren't _that_ hungry, lunch would be in an hour or so so they just agreed. An hour earlier wouldn't matter.

Ash gave them a smile that could match the sun before he began to loosen the rope around Eevee's neck, finally taking it off and then he began petting the little Pokémon.

"We'll feed you with our Pokémon. After that, let's go to the town and see if we can find your trainers. Okay?" Ash asked the Eevee that hesitantly got on top of Ash's lap. Ash was still sitting on the floor after all.

Seeing the Eevee do that, Ash made it a bit more comfortable by spreading his legs more and he let the Eevee rest in it. " _A drink would be nice too…_ " the Eevee mumbled but Ash could hear it.

Amused at the fact Eevee hadn't bothered to think about the talking with him further, Ash just asked for an extra drink for the Eevee.

Brock just chuckled and the group let out all their Pokémon, now amazing the Eevee that was in Ash's lap.

Pseudo-legendaries surrounded the group as if they were common. Rare Pokémon, shiny Pokémon, fossil Pokémon. The Eevee could only stare in awe at the sight that is most likely the first time. The pink one made the Eevee more interested as he tilted his head.

" _What Pokémon are you?_ " Eevee asked the Espeon that gave a small smile. Most likely one of the Eevee that grew up in Kanto, never knowing all of its evolution.

" _I am an Espeon, one of your evolutions. At day, if you train normally, you can become an Espeon. At night you become an Umbreon. Just to say it now; you can become a Glaceon in natural ice environments and Leafeon in old forests. The evolution to a Sylveon is most likely knowing Fairy Types and to wish to become a Sylveon, more I do not know._ "

The Eevee could only be amazed. She was young and ignorant to her evolutions other than her brother and sisters that were the Kanto evolutions.

" _Can I see how they look like? I always wanted to see what I could become!_ " the Eevee childishly called out with a happy look. The Espeon shook her head in amusement before pointing to Ash.

Ash, seeing the Espeon do so, chuckled and grasped for his Pokédex. Good thing his already recorded countless Pokémon. If anything, his Pokédex was close to completion. Kanto had no Pokémon he hadn't seen other than the legendaries and the same was said for Johto as he didn't have Lugia and Raikou. Hoenn he had few of, Sinnoh he had more of, Unova even less than Hoenn and Kalos he had few more than Sinnoh. Overall, a lot of scanned Pokémon. The Eeveelutions were one of them though so he started to search around before an Eevee came in sight as a hologram. After that, Ash pressed the 'evolution' button and it revealed all the choices to the Eevee.

Eevee began to stare in awe at all the possible evolutions. Truthfully, she would've wanted to remain an Eevee but the Sylveon evolution looked really interesting!

Ash saw her stare and laughed a little. "You want to become a Sylveon?" Ash asked in amusement.

The Eevee could only nod and Ash chuckled before starting to explain a bit.

"Sylveon is a fairy type Pokémon. Ironically, the first Pokémon to be noted as one despite other fairy types being known far longer. Fairy types are pretty weak against Poison types and Steel. The amazing thing about Fairy types is that they are immune to dragon type Pokémon. Meaning that you could take down a Dragonite if trained well."

The Eevee listened with absolute attention and wonder. The fact that only two weaknesses were there and that she would be immune to dragons is amazing to her.

" _I really want to become a Fairy type! How do I learn a fairy type move for my evolution?_ "

Ash thought about it before questioning her moves. Moving his Pokédex, he scanned the Eevee.

 **"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Eevee is rarely seen, and can adapt to severe habitats by evolving, changing its capabilities and form.**

 **This Eevee is Female and has the ability Run Away.**

 **Known moves are: Helping Hand, Growl, Tackle, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, Baby Doll Eyes, Swift, Quick Attack, Bite, Charm, Last Resort and Trump Card.**

 **Egg moves that have been identified: Wish (LOCKED) and Fake Tears."**

"Hmm. I think all you need is some good experience and the desire to actually evolve into a Sylveon. How about you join us for a training session and we'll go to Stone Town tomorrow? It might be all you need to evolve," Ash offered the Eevee a chance to evolve. While the trainer might not like it, if the Eevee does then Ash'll do so.

Who cares what a trainer thinks? He should be happy Eevee actually _evolved_.

His Pikachu doesn't want to evolve until he beats a pseudo-legendary and Meowth refuses altogether.

While Pikachu can win against Tyranitar and Metagross, Pikachu actually meant against a Dragonite. One of the more common pseudo-legendaries that would be far more trained than the Tyranitar and Metagross.

" _Really! That is amazing, please do! Mikey might not want it, but I really, really do!_ " Eevee happily wagged her tail as she began to run around Ash happily.

Chuckling a little, Ash decided to start lunch himself. It's his turn now after all so he began to prepare the Pokémon Food. Extra for Eevee.

* * *

After a nice lunch, the trio of trainers decided to start training. Ash, as always, was a hard taskmaster. To start with Eevee..

Weighed down by weights on its forelegs and hindlegs, the Eevee was running around with pure determination. While his muscles ached and tried to stop him, the Eevee simply kept going and going.

Weighs around 25KGs each, forcing a whopping 100KG in total on the Eevee made the Eevee definitely exhausted. But, she was used to battling heavy opponents and to wear this for a while was her own wish. She wanted to get stronger and she had always been physically stronger than her brother and sisters.

Genetics. Damn good genetics.

What came after 30 minutes of 'warming up' which shocked the Eevee to death, they removed the weights and started move training. Ash wouldn't have any of it if the Eevee didn't know one of the _basic_ moves an Eevee should learn.

So he made Trickster teach the Eevee Shadow Ball with moderate success. Whilst not large to say it's mastered, it was medium sized within three hours of practice… but Ash didn't stop in four simple hours. No, Ash was a task master to the extreme.

The next thing Eevee had to do was battle against Meowth. Meowth was holding back, but even then he was still stronger than Eevee so the Eevee had tough time fighting against the stronger Pokémon. It didn't give in though. Swifts were blown around, Shadow balls were fired at the ground to make sure dirt got in the eyes… Well, Ash was ordering Eevee in battle so that was a given. Meowth had to fight on his own.

In the end, Eevee lost but that was also the end of a single day of training. It basically gave Eevee a rundown of what to improve on and the Evolution Pokémon collapsed at night, around 2 A.M., completely exhausted and hurt with wounds.

Ash just chuckled and used his bastardized Heal Pulse to recover the Eevee from her wounds. "You trained pretty well. Learnt Shadow Ball fast as well, it'll become stronger when you evolve. Right now you're leaning on the physical side otherwise you would've collapsed in just 10 minutes of carrying that weight. You're definitely a tough one… for now, rest a bit. Don't rest fully because tomorrow we'll battle against your older brother and sisters to show them you're stronger. Mikey'll have to accept it too… Sorry for taking his place as a trainer for a bit though," Ash apologized to the Eevee.

Eevee just shook her head in disagreement. She was _happy_ that Ash did this. Mikey was quite spineless if Eevee had to admit it so she rarely got the chance to actually go all out with training and battle whereas Ash makes them do so.

So they slept for about four hours in total, Ash doing so as well as he completely forgot about meditating thanks to Eevee's problem. The Gengar that stood there just chuckled in amusement and didn't bother waking Ash to do so; he was doing a good job as a Chosen for this. His aura only flared red once in three weeks.

* * *

At morning, after a 'wake up' training and breakfast the three trainers walked towards Stone Town. Eevee was currently on Ash's left shoulder while Pikachu was on the right.

Brock had his Ninetales and Roserade out of their Pokéball to let people think he joined the evolution event. Caitlin just had her Espeon out to scare off the three Eevee brothers that most likely would _demand_ an egg with the Espeon if what the Eevee told them was true.

Oh and look at this; they found the main event. Three brothers with _ridiculous_ hairstyles were standing there. They were a little _too_ into it as Ash let a small scowl show on his face.

"That's the three brothers that make your trainer scared? They're not even showing a good presence as a trainer, all they do is probably quickly evolve their Pokémon with no training. Remember what I trained you with, Eevee. That's how a trainer should train his Pokémon before evolution. All your stone evolutions can't learn the moves you learn as an Eevee. Espeon and the likes can, but it's a fact."

Eevee nodded in agreement as the three brothers found their _target_ to evolve for the main show.

"Hey isn't that Eevee?" The one on the left with blue hair commented.

The one with red hair glared at the three trainers that came in. "What're they doing with Mikey's Eevee? That Eevee's supposed to be the main show for our evolution event," he growled.

The one with yellow hair just glared at the trainer with an attempt to intimidate him. Ash only rose his eyebrow as he looked at the one with yellow hair.

Like Pokémon, like trainer much? All a Jolteon had for defense were his natural spikes of fur. Other than that, it's a glass-like figurine that can be broken easily.

"You," the leader of the three brothers, with yellow hair, glared at Ash. "Where did you find that Eevee? Did you steal it?"

Ash frowned a little… Why would they instantly suggest as such? Mikey's fault most likely.

"I did not. Eevee joined me." Ash spoke a half truth. Eevee understood why so she just remained silent and didn't even react when Mikey came in view. Heck, she completely ignored Mikey for the chance to glare at the three brothers in front of her.

"Hmph. Eevee belongs to our little brother, not you. Hand it over," the blue haired brother demanded as he held out his hand as if _expecting_ Ash to _obey_.

Ash doesn't obey easily so he rose an eyebrow.

"For what? Your little evolution show? Such a waste of potential, _forcing_ a Pokémon to evolve."

"So what?! They'll get stronger after evolving! Look at our Pokémon!"

The three brothers called out the Eeveelution that matched their hairstyle and now even Brock and Caitlin had to hold in a laugh. They were a little _too arrogant_.

Those three Eeveelutions were weaker than Eevee. That's just… _lame_.

"Really? Battle me. Eevee here will defeat all three of them at the same time," Ash smiled calmly.

Taking offense to this, the one with red hair that definitely inherited a fire type's aggressive side growled. "You're far too arrogant. Whatever! If you lose hand over the Eevee _and_ the Pikachu! That'll show you that evolution is more important than staying like that! Wasted potential I tell you!"

Ash seemed to change a bit as red aura slipped from his hands. Ash isn't known to _hate_ but these were _getting there_.

Almost instantly, the bond with his Pokémon made him calm down as they showed reassuring feelings. Eevee wouldn't lose, that much is true. Pikachu just nodded for Ash, showing it was alright.

The brothers took that as agreement with their words and laughed. "See! Even Pikachu agrees that evolving is more important! I'll evolve him right away when you lose, kid!"

Ash sighed before turning his head to Eevee, "Can you do it? You've learnt the second move we taught you, I hope."

Eevee nodded with a smile, wagging her tail as she jumped down from Ash's shoulder and now revealed fiercer eyes than the Eevee is known for, making the three Pokémon that belong to the brothers raise a small eyebrow in curiosity.

Their little sister changed… They wondered just how much. They didn't say anything though, their trainers were the ones claiming it for the best. Even Jolteon disliked his forced evolution but how can they reject an evolution of a stone when it's literally put against them after getting thrown out of their Pokéball? They just agreed with it now it can't be reversed.

Eevee growled at seeing the pity in her sisters and brother's eyes. She wasn't going down _that easily!_

"Hmph! Jolteon, tackle that little Eevee and just get this over with!" the yellow haired brother ordered and Eevee just shook her head before getting ready. Within seconds, the Eevee responded by using Quick Attack and hitting the Jolteon far harder than a tackle could, straight in the face where no spikes are.

Jolteon was thrown back a bit but Eevee was anything but timid now. Charging a Shadow Ball, Eevee instantly fired it at the older brother of the three Eeveelutions and hit Jolteon straight on in the face again.

The face, a weakness that many forget. Jolteon was down for the count already.

That was also when Eevee was exhausted after the training… but gained a small smirk as if knowing a tactic. A tactic Ash told the Eevee about.

She could use only one trump card after the morning training and after that, it's all last resort time. Thinking about it, the Eevee gained a small dark chuckle to herself as she rose to the Flareon that now charged at her with Fire Fang.

She didn't need to say anything. Glowing a fierce white, the Eevee was ready to reveal her trump card. _Her strongest attack_. An attack Ash mentioned to be the strongest available attack if used right… and he was right.

Like a rocket, the Eevee took off and blasted against the Flareon. Trump Card's effect being that the less amount of times it could be used was true. This was the _final_ trump card, making it stronger than even Hyper Beam.

The Flareon never stood a chance as she was blasted into a tree in the distance, at least a yard or three away. Trump Card is just _that_ strong and Eevee made use of it.

Now came Vaporeon that took a smarter choice and fired a water gun at Eevee. However, Eevee wasn't stupid and avoided it with a new move; Double Team.

After that, Eevee finally lost all options other than Last Resort… and with it came the power that Eevee needed. Almost like a real last resort the Eevee began to glow another fierce white and charged the Vaporean that lacked speed compared to the Eevee, getting hit no matter how hard the Vaporeon tried to dodge.

 _The last one down._

Eevee roared in agreement as she began to glow, now staring at Mikey with fierceness that made the little brother flinch. It seems that Eevee was angry he never listened to her calls and wanted her to stay an Eevee.

Ribbons sprouted from the Eevee's figure as the Eevee grew in side. Large, pink ribbons that floated around in the wind were flapping around and the Eeveelution became a white pink. A slim body, baby blue eyes and large pink ears were seen. " _Ssyyylveon!_ " it cried out as the brothers could only stare in awe.

Caitlin's Espeon was the first one to join the Sylveon's side and it happily told her congratulations. She was the same with Caitlin after all, wanting to evolve into an Espeon. In her case, Caitlin happily listened.

The Sylveon cheerfully smiled before spotting Mikey coming closer. The boy seemed to be in tears.

"Why did you evolve? Didn't you cry out that you didn't want to? Even I didn't want you to evolve!" The little brother called out in anger. Obviously, it was misplaced as the Sylveon's eyes grew wider.

" _Syl, sylv sylveon!_ " She tried to reason as Mikey began to shake. He wasn't having any of it! All that trouble to avoid his Eevee from evolving and Eevee did it herself!

"I didn't want you to evolve Eevee! I wanted you to stay you! Get out of my sight!" Mikey called out in rage but that was also the first time Ash's rage peaked.

These _family members_ were _disgusting_. Pure, unadultered anger filtered through his veins as Trickster instantly came out of the Cherish Ball to calm him down. Eyes glowing the purest of red, Ash was practically going for _blood_ at that moment.

Discard Sylveon like that? After finally becoming she _wanted_ to be?! Because you wanted her to remain an _Eevee_ to train as a little pet?!

Even Caitlin and Brock were heavily frowning. Heck, even the crowd that specially came here frowned.

They were treated to the sight of seeing an Eevee prove herself and finally evolve into something they had never seen, but this was too much. Her actual trainer was actually _discarding_ her because of it?

Mikey growled in sadness as he grabbed the former Eevee's pokéball and let it fall to the ground. "I thought you were my friend but you didn't even listen to me when I said I wanted you to remain an Eevee! I thought of you as good enough, I tried to hide you when you cried out you didn't want to evolve into what my brothers wanted and now you do this!"

Childish rage. Childish complaints. Childish mindsets.

Is evolution all they care about here? Ash had half a mind to simply call out Arceus, ask for forgiveness and let his mind go into a killing frenzy for that.

He _actually_ had the temptation to do so. Not even when the Charmander he saved was left behind all wounded made him that mad!

Was it because his emotions were higher now that he was entering the teenage years?

Sylveon's tears were obvious and the blue haired brother obviously noticed it. He didn't comment now that he began to _realize_ this is _rare_ eeveelution. A chance to breed and get stronger Eevees!

Mikey, however, didn't think like that. For all that Eevee had done, Mikey was completely enraged and finally stomped down on the Pokéball.

The final act Ash needed. Even Trickster lost his strength at seeing that. Not even the release button was used, but actually destroy the Pokéball. That was all Trickster needed for getting angered himself.

Ash was like a red blur, finally getting in Mikey's face and a _punch_ came against his cheek that sent the boy flying unconscious. Ash wasn't so kind as to simply scold the boy. Neither was he when he found that Damian who left behind Charmander. A _shiny_ Charmander. Because it was weak due to not receiving any training.

Ash grabbed one of his cherish balls before calling out his massive Talonflame. Heck, even Caitlin and Brock were enraged. Talonflame was joined by a Tyranitar and Metagross that only needed an instant to glare at the three brothers and they ran as far as they could.

Heck, surrounding trainers actually _smiled_ at the sight of _justice_ being dealt.

Ash frowned as he saw the Sylveon crying. The Eevee was so happy when she found out what she could evolve to, and the boy was selfish enough to actually discard the evolved Eevee?

It seems this world could be darker than he thought. A boy did this to a loyal Eevee that only evolved for him.

Heck, he didn't even try to talk to the group when he saw Eevee. Even _Ash_ noticed that. That's just far too much.

Seeing the Sylveon cry, even Ash had to calm down. The previous blood red aura around his fists when he punched the 11 year old Mikey disappeared and became blue before he walked up to the Sylveon.

"Hey…" He called out as he reached out his hand. The Sylveon flinched.

Frowning, he began to pet the Sylveon gently.

"Calm down Sylveon… He might not like it, but that's just some brattish act… If he did that, even when _you_ wanted to _evolve_ into this, he's at fault. If he can't accept change, he's not worth you… even if he kept you as an Eevee the entire time, one day you would've evolved in either Espeon or Umbreon."

The Espeon nodded in agreement. Her former pack evolved like that at times.

" _B-but.. M-mikey.._ " the Sylveon cried as Ash carefully picked up the Fairy-type and held her against his chest.

"It's alright… Let's just take a rest and calm down, alright? You're not at fault…"

Brock walked up to them with Caitlin following. Both frowned at the cries of the Fairy type and Brock nodded with his head towards the exit of the town. "Let's go. This place is disgusting, I'll never return if those guys are here. That's just plain horrible."

Ash nodded with a frown. He was definitely sad that Sylveon was treated like this. Was this another choice he made? A mistake, or a good choice? He didn't know, truly.

But like that, the Stone Town lost its fame. Trainers told them about it, recorded it even (without the aura being seen) and it spread amongst the network.

Falcon was returned before they could actually _record_ the Pokémon. Ash didn't want people going after him for his Pokémon and Brock and Caitlin followed up.

"C'mon. We're going, Sylveon… Want to come with us for now?" Ash asked the Sylveon that could only nod during her cries.

 _A pokémon lost her trainer because of his selfishness. Yet again, has Ash seen what a trainer can do when he is like this. It broke his heart, truly. If he hadn't seen the kindness of trainers in the previous centers he would've snapped far worse…_

* * *

Walking out of Stone Town, the group finally came back to their previous camping area. Ash held a sleeping Sylveon as Caitlin started the conversation.

"What will we do with Sylveon? It was just harsh how she was discarded because she evolved… if it were me, heck if it were anyone other than those guys, I would've cheered in happiness."

Brock nodded with a sad expression, "That blue haired guy actually had eyes of greed after the rage. I thought that Sylveon would've been used as a breeding tool for a moment…"

Ash's frown increased and the two _knew_ that was the wrong thing to say. Once again, his bonds tried to calm him down. It worked to a point until both Caitlin and Brock placed a hand on his shoulders.

"Calm down Ash… you need to take a small break. We need that cruise really… Sylveon is scarred now. Can you take care of her?" Caitlin asked Ash for confirmation.

Ash's red eyes burned with determination. "I won't let Sylveon remain sad. This… this was just too much. I'll gladly become her trainer and help her get better…" He leaned down and kissed the Sylveon's head with some affection, trying to show her she's not alone even in her sleep.

 _Because of that, even if for a moment, the Sylveon smiled at feeling actual love towards her._

* * *

Sylveon eventually woke up at night and had to hold back a sob when Ash held her closer. Heck, Sylveon could feel Ash's warmth as he gently used his aura. He was careful of course not to hurt the Sylveon and held her as if she was the most precious Pokémon there is.

"Easy now Sylveon… They won't come after you now. We've left now. Calm down, okay?"

" _O-okay… Ash… W-why did Mikey throw me aside?_ " the Sylveon asked in a weak voice, obviously holding back tears.

Ash frowned as he heard that, coming closer to look straight into her baby blue eyes. "I don't know, Sylveon. Humans can at one time be the kindest and at the other the cruelest… what you have seen is something that was my fourth time maybe. I know what they can do… but I didn't expect someone to discard you just because you evolved willingly…"

Sylveon's tears leaked again into Ash's shirt as he frowned.

Right now, Brock and Caitlin were asleep in their respective tents. They went far away from Stone Town before even considering to rest. If those brothers could catch them in their sleep who knows what they could do.

That's also why they let Steelix sleep in front of their tents and Tyranitar, Metagross and Gengar seemed to stand behind the tents to rest. Gengar was the one who remained awake to look around while Metagross closed its eyes and Tyranitar slept in a curled up manner.

"Sylveon," Ash's kind voice reached the Fairy-type's ears and he forced her to look into his eyes.

At first the Sylveon wanted to flinch and look away, but then she spotted the _pure kindness and love_ in his eyes.

"You're not unwanted… If that boy couldn't accept you, I will. I originally wanted to capture only six Pokémon per region, but… I can't stand to see you get hurt like this," Ash frowned at the thought of Sylveon being hurt now.

Sylveon's baby blue eyes widened. " _Y-you'd accept me..? Someone unwanted like me..?_ "

"Did you forget? I was beside you when you were so happy. You became what you wanted to be. Now you can choose again," Ash smiled softly as he put the Sylveon in his sleeping bag. The Fairy Type pretty much _refused_ to leave his side. "Do you want to join me on my journey? There'll be lots of danger, lots of adventure and lots of fun. Do you wish to join me and battle, or do you wish to simply stay with me?"

Sylveon thought about it. This boy accepted her when she was an Eevee and taught her about evolution. Yes, he was the reason she was disliked by Mikey but…

She would've evolved eventually as an Eevee into either Espeon or Umbreon.

Ash allowed her to become what she wanted to be. She didn't dislike her form, not in the slightest. It's just what Mikey said hurt her…

"You don't have to decide now…" Ash whispered as he wrapped an arm around the fairy type. Right now his other Pokémon slept a bit further away from them. They were awake really, but they acted asleep to listen to their trainer's words.

"Take your time. Rest. Calm down and decide… Okay?" Ash asked with a small smile.

Sylveon's baby blue eyes became teary as she nuzzled into Ash's body, going for some sleep.

Ash let out a small sigh before he looked next to him. He obviously knew they were faking it. He slept too many times with them. "You guys heard it… Sleep," Ash ordered pretty much and they obeyed with Ash following short after.

* * *

 _Arceus was looking at her Chosen One and frowned._

" _Was it wise?_ " the Almighty One asked herself. Even now, she thought of her Chosen One's actions.

In a place where he had no aura, the boy would've returned the Eevee as an Eevee. There was no training, no choosing. But that Chosen was much, _much_ weaker than the current one.

What that boy had taken two regions, this one had done in half a year in Kanto. That's the absolute difference between them.

What the boy made as mistakes and didn't learn of, this one learnt of.

" _It was wise. Ash was correct with his actions, even if he didn't listen to the human side again. He let the Eevee talk about the boy called Mikey and decided it be best to let the Eevee decide before the brothers acted. How annoying that they reacted so negatively at the end. This once again slows Ash's progress as the Chosen One._ "

Arceus was not a happy camper. She definitely wasn't. Her Chosen One was hurt in his heart at seeing the Sylveon cry and get hurt. Heck, even she herself couldn't believe what happened.

It also woke up a rage in her that almost made her regret letting the humans do as they pleased, but she knew and endured. She _knew_ Ash would change the world for the good in the future.

As a God, she could see all parallel worlds. All of them contained Ash as the Chosen One. In one he had a legendary as his first Pokémon and became a master, before taking the lead and changing the Pokémon Schools which in the end made the world a far better place. In another, he was betrayed by all of his friends and became so dark - yet when the time called for it the boy did what was right and fought against the evil. In another, the boy sacrificed himself for Mew to live on and protect the Tree of the Beginning.

So many times and sadly, Ash had always been hurt. Even now, Ash was hurt.

Was the world just _that_ bad? Had she done such a bad job?

Even Arceus was capable of feeling guilt and right now she felt it at full force thanks to seeing Ash shake a bit in his sleep. All she could do now was comfort him in his dreams, sending her godly energy into his being to calm him down and feel her embrace like a mother.

Even she made a prayer; a prayer that Ash would have a happier journey from this point on. A rule she herself couldn't break was that she couldn't intervene unless she was his Pokémon. She didn't wish to be so yet. But there was one good thing that'll happen from this point on.

 _Her prayers will be answered in the future, luckily._

* * *

The next morning, Sylveon woke up and stretched her body a bit. Using the ribbons and 'feelers' as she liked to call them she quickly rubbed some of the tears on Ash's face away.

The boy cried for her? That was definitely something… Something that even made the Sylveon happy, no matter how guilty one should feel by making someone else cry.

He _cared_ for her even after evolving.

The choice was made. She'll join him. She'll _battle_ for him. She'll _live_ for him.

A bond was made, this time with a Pokémon that wasn't even his own yet. The feelings of love between the two was shared and the Sylveon happily cuddled as close as she could before going back to sleep.

 _The next time, right before they'll go to that Grampa Canyon, she'll be at his side._

* * *

 **Hey everyone! I hope you liked this chapter. In the beginning I described something perhaps only one person noticed; Vital Info. My intention was to slowly make Ash more violent until someone actually spoke of it but it seems that it had to be nipped at the bud.**

 **The Pikachu part is a little underwhelming, I know. But in this story, Ash isn't stupid enough to think Pikachu would leave him.**

 **This chapter might change a few views. Ash will start meditating for actual control of not only his aura, but his emotions. He can't be a child and do whatever he wants; he needs to realize his own emotions have _power_. I even made Arceus take an appearance for once. It's something I also noticed that there is a lack of; other stories make Arceus appear as a being that just grants Pokémon. I want a God that actually _improves_ the Chosen One emotionally. It's not as if Arceus has no emotions either. Remember the movie? **

**'Tis the curse of the Chosen to be forced to control himself, one might say after this chapter. Now what happened with Eevee… I'll apologize if I need to, but that was just my impression to change another thing that Ash has involved himself with. He meant well but this happened. It's yet another thing to think of for Ash and now the six Pokémon rule has been broken. ( People can ignore the first chapter's warning of six Pokémon per region, yay! ) I won't let him capture just any Pokémon though. There'll have to be special events such as with Sylveon now.**

 **A little sad, perhaps? This chapter is called the Road of Troubles. Ash's journey isn't just purely fun; he realizes smaller things that many other trainers forget. Greed of others, for one. Wishes of one. Now a Pokémon's wish was granted but a trainer's wish was crushed. Such is equivalent exchange, is it not? The irony of Eevee knowing Wish and that her wish was granted isn't lost on me.**

 **Next chapter will be about the history Pokémon. Expect a large one for _just that_. **

**I tried to focus this chapter more on Ash, his feelings and aura. Gengar will from this point on focus more on Ash's growth as well.**

 **I hope you guys liked it, really! I try my best, even if the quality isn't of the best with my story. I try what I can, and I try to make it a good read. Perhaps a little emotional now.**

 **It's an attempt to improve the story by adding a little drama, but also my writing. I'll admit this: I'm pretty apathetic to things. Moments such as these are hard for me to write.**

 **Anyway; here you guys go. A Fairy Type to compliment the date it is now for me. 14 February 2016; Valentine. A broken heart gets restored by the love of another.**

 **Hope you guys'll look forward to the next chapter!** **Lezaroth, signing off!**


	14. Road of the Ancient

**Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter for Valentine! I need to get a good nickname for the Sylveon after all and this chapter grants it.**

 **A little emotional in the beginning. Afterwards the group turns just a little apathetic to the Team Rocket members that caused the explosion and Ritchie that was just unconcious on the ground. ( I didn't spoil anything… I hope. )**

 **Now… Reviews! ( For there are a few, no matter how little time there was to make 'em. )**

 **TheSuperMario: Ash has it bad, yes. He also has more luck than any other trainer with his Pokémon. A little bit of mixture between insane luck and horrible luck. Not just that, but I want the darker parts done with. Team Rocket is plain horrible. Aqua and Magma are less, Galactic are just a bunch of idiots, Plasma is… Plasma and let's not even _talk_ about the Kalos evil gang. Ash needs to go through this and he'll improve not just as a trainer but also as a person. Emotional things are needed early on to harden yourself. Actually, he has it _pretty_ safe compared to some other stories I've seen. By the way… I know. The breaking of the Pokéball was intended to be extremely harsh. I should've added the magnificent Luffy Punch yes. **

**Xperior: I know he has it bad but in this region Ash mostly meets the 'bad' side of humans. Afterwards he can find out about Pokémon. I mean… there are bad Pokémon no matter how much one wants to deny it. Look at Hypno!**

 **Flamingpheonixlbj2: He will have aura bonded with his Pokémon by the time the league starts. The bonds have been starting now because Ash's emotions are running wild. The bond with Sylveon was the one thing he needed to get better control of himself actually. Why that is; try reading the description of Sylveon. She calms down battles and that means she calms down the negative feelings. A bond with Sylveon was an idea to help him out, hence why there is a Sylveon to begin with.**

 **xXSakuraBlossomsXx: Togepi is going to Caitlin. No fights or stealing about it. Why that is, is because Togepi matches Caitlin and it allows them to meet up in Hoenn again next to the 'get togethers' that could occasionally happen. Ash can catch a Toge(tic)(kiss) later on though, in Hoenn if people truly want him to have a Togekiss. Even now I wait for people with ideas for the Orange Island Pokémon he'll capture. So far, three are decided completely. Three left.**

 **Blucross: Thanks for the compliment but I can't match up to Saphroneth. That guy is a good writer through and through. At least, in my opinion. ( I read his stories too. )**

 **Anyway! Let's get on with the chapter. Time for the Road of the Old. Maybe a little anti-climatic but hey. Not everything is an exciting adventure. If you look at some things logically you'll understand why things happen. Hunger is one important fact. ( Hint )**

 **P.S. You guys are free to offer me ideas of Pokémon to capture for Ash! Three are completely decided now. I have one or two in mind but I accept ideas anytime. PM me, review them. Do whatever you wish!**

* * *

It's been a day since they've left now. Sylveon had remained silent the entire time but always stayed close to Ash as if he were to leave her behind at any time. To solve that, he had to put her on his shoulder next to Pikachu as he walked with the group on the road.

"Are you feeling a bit better, Sylveon?" Ash asked the fairy Pokémon, obviously still worried. She remained quiet for a long time now.

" _... A bit. I just don't want to think about Mikey,_ " the Sylveon whispered out with a sad voice.

Ash let out a small sigh as his hand moved to the top of the Sylveon's head, gently stroking it.

"Have you thought of my offer? If you remain wild the entire time someone might actually capture you with bad intentions. If you want to remain wild I can understand but we'll have to go to Professor Oak," Ash tried to push it. He knew that either Sylveon joined his team or didn't. He wouldn't mind as long as the Pokémon will be happier.

" _Mm.. I think I want to join you, Ash. Can I be a battler? I want to prove my worth too,_ " the Sylveon tried to make sure she could prove herself as much as she could to Ash.

Giving a small smile, Ash only shook his head in amusement. The Sylveon might've picked it up if the widening of her eyes said something but she calmed down when Ash spoke.

"You don't have to prove yourself. Even Meowth used to be the weakest of his very species - which I don't mean in the wrong way - thanks to trying to become like a human. You're pretty strong and decently trained for a rookie Pokémon. There's a long road, but we'll walk it together, okay?" Ash tried to cheer up the Pokémon by also mentioning that he'll make her grow stronger and do it together. It was obviously something the fairy type Pokémon needed.

" _R-really…? Thank you…!_ " the Sylveon sniffed happily as she began to nuzzle against Ash. Her ribbons wrapped around Pikachu as well, hugging the Electric type close to her as well since Pikachu had been the silent comfort the entire time.

Next to Ash, Brock and Caitlin could only smile. It seems like Sylveon was getting better now. Perhaps the next trip will do them some good.

Caitlin already messaged Darach that the cruise trip should be a little extended and more of an enjoyment thing. She wanted to make sure Ash had _fun_ now to make up for all the negative things he had seen.

Brock obviously offered to spar more with the boy and give some brotherly advice. Heck, Brock might just become Ash's brother-figure if he kept it up. It seems they also got a bit of a rivalry going on now with the spars and at times, even cooking. Well, human cooking that is.

Brock wins in the tasting department of Pokémon cooking, but Ash wins in practicality.

"Do you wish to be captured then, Sylveon?" Ash smiled as he held out an empty, red Cherish Ball. The fairy type could only stare at the Pokéball that looked so different from the others. She saw that Ash had normal ones, so these must be special. It cheered the fairy type up just a bit more.

" _Mm..!_ " the fairy Eeveelution moved her ribbon to the Cherish Ball and moved it to her head, gently placing it against her. Being absorbed for the second time in her life, the capture was an instant success and the Sylveon had to stare in awe at the sight. She could _see_ the outside as well?

Smiling a bit, Ash caught the Cherish Ball and gave it a soft kiss. "Hey, Caitlin, isn't today Valentine?" Ash asked the female of the group. Obviously, she had more experience.

"E-eh? Yes, it is. Why do you ask, Ash?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"Well… I need a good nickname for Sylveon. I don't like how she isn't considered different if I just call her Sylveon. Valencia, how does that sound?" Ash asked his female companion. He just wanted the Pokémon to feel special as he trained her. Give her a name she'll treasure.

Giving Ash a kind smile, Caitlin just nodded. "It is a very nice name. Sweet of you, Ash, to do this."

"Hehe… I just can't help it. Pokémon are my life. I might act violent if I see them hurt but that's just in my nature; I want to protect them," Ash rubbed the back of his head, eerily similar to how Pikachu does it at times when he is embarrassed. So _that_ is the source.

Holding the Sylveon's Cherish Ball, Ash carefully put aura into it and the fairy type came out of the Cherish Ball with a small twirl, seeming just a bit more cheerful.

Smiling, Ash crouched down to the Sylveon's level and he began petting her head and scratching behind her large, pink ears. "Hey Sylveon, how about I give you a new name? I don't want to call you Sylveon all the time because that just makes you another Sylveon in the world. I want to give you something that makes you, you."

Sylveon couldn't feel happier than that. Her sadness forgotten for just that moment, she eagerly looked up to Ash. Ash couldn't help but chuckle a little as he gave her a kind look. "How about Valencia? Since today is Valentine and fairy types are often considered the more loveable Pokémon."

Brock popped up with a chuckle, "It also means "Brave". I think Sylveon fits that description at how she beat her older siblings as a pre-evolution. She didn't show fear at all."

Caitlin giggled in agreement. "Yes, it is a nice name."

" _Valencia… I like it!_ " the newly named Valencia's ribbons began to swirl around happily, forming a heart at the end to show she loved it. Ash couldn't help but laugh a little at how cute that looked.

A Pokémon Master that beats the dragons with a cute Sylveon. Oh how fun that'll be once Sylveon joins the ranks of his current team at high Rookie level.

"Well then, _Valencia_ , let's get going. Do you want to walk on your own now? If you want, I can even add some weights so you can start training now. You do have some catching up to do if you want to join the rest of my team in skill and power," Ash winked in challenge.

The Sylveon didn't take well to being called weaker. Glaring fiercely in determination, the Sylveon obviously showed she was ready for whatever Ash got. " _Bring it!_ "

Oh how she'll regret it. Ash already got the weights and put it around her legs and even some smaller ones on her ribbons for some other training.

The Sylveon did question why the ribbons were included. Ash answered with a smile.

"I saw you can control them. That means it also requires some muscle… to strengthen the ribbons is very important then. If you can throw a Pokémon with them, doesn't that mean you have an extra way to fight? It also allows you to trip larger ones, or perhaps blind one if they are at your height. See what I mean?" Ash asked to be sure.

Valencia could only nod in awe. Even she didn't think of that.

It was also a thing that differentiated the trainer Pokémon from the wild Pokémon. While the wild ones are often stronger physically, the trained ones are far more intelligent with methods of combat.

"Then walk along. Pikachu, you got some good ol' tail exercise. This time with let's say… 50 kilograms and no usage of Iron Tail?" Ash asked his starter that just nodded with a smile.

The smaller ones can practice on the road. That's the great thing about walking around.

Ash easily grabbed a black orb that had a few buttons hidden and he changed the weight of that particular orb to 50 kilograms. Ash, having trained enough now, was capable of holding it with two of his hands but there was a bit of a strain. "Here you go Pikachu, be sure to keep hitting it up as we walk," Ash instructed as he let Pikachu down and the Pokémon walked next to the Sylveon, now hitting the weight ball after Ash dropped it to him.

Brock chuckled and let out Ninetales. Perhaps it's time for some on the road training for her as well. "Ninetales, let's practice a bit as well. I know you can use Extrasensory, but it's always great to improve your psychic abilities. Who knows, if you improve more you might be capable of using Psychic and Telepathy in the future. Even your illusions might improve," Brock added. He's definitely read through Ash's encyclopedia because Ash's encyclopedia always told a trainer the following:

" _There are no limits for a Pokémon. Limits just need time to be broken._ "

Wiser words can't be said. It was added after they taught a Pidgeot to use Extremespeed.

The Ninetales nodded eagerly, her nine tails happily swaying in the wind as she walked. Brock just grabbed an average 25 kilogram weight ball so that it wouldn't strain the new training method too much. Throwing it in front of the Ninetales, the task was simple.

Keep it in air, in front of you, the entire trip.

Well, excluding breaks of course.

Caitlin giggled and called out Espeon, mentioning the same as Ash did with Sylveon. Of course, Espeon also got a similar training to Ninetales, but instead of 25 kilograms, it's a hundred. Concentration was the Espeon's problem so making it too heavy like a Golem is dumb, but making it too light means that it'll be too easy. This is just a medium. Just perfect.

"Seems like we're ready for the road. Meowth will probably be too lazy after he ate so much this morning… Stupid cat," Ash muttered at the end with a tired sigh.

Cats are lazy, deal with it. Meowth can be very determined, but never ruin his catnaps.

Ash still feels the scratches on his face when he did it last week.

Caitlin and Brock broke out in laughter, obviously amused.

Growling slightly, Ash just walked ahead of them. "Let's just hurry to Grampa Canyon! There's not a lot of time left, we've been away for maybe three weeks. That's a week left!"

The others soon picked up pace as the tag-a-long Pokémon chatted and trained. Sylveon definitely needed some more Pokémon to speak with as the fairy type was gradually opening up.

 _A good thing indeed. Perhaps fast, but Ash always had that effect on Pokémon._

* * *

It took a good five days of continuous walking, but they _finally_ made it. Honestly, where the heck does Kanto keep those rocky mountain areas hidden? No town maps _ever_ reveal those!

Brock knew of it somehow and Ash wanted the source, but the breeder just stuck out his tongue in a teasing manner telling Ash to find out on his own.

These past five days were well spent though. Emotionally, the group improved a bit.

Ash was a lot more cheerful and gentle now that he had to take care of his new Sylveon. Perhaps it was a good thing because the fairy type seemed _so_ much happier than before it looked like she was almost a different Pokémon.

Five long days they spent together and trained together. Naturally, every three to five hours a small break happened where they just drank some water and let the other Pokémon out to stretch their legs and have an hour of training and then a good thirty minutes of rest before they continued.

At first, the Sylveon barely held it out for three hours to walk with the weights and the added concentration on her ribbons - which was pretty hard to do with weights on them.

Oh, Brock corrected Ash after a day though. The 'ribbons' as he called them were 'feelers'.

Blame Ash for not having any damn knowledge on such clothing. Why should he care about feminine things?

Ah well, he just stuck with calling them ribbons until Brock gives up correcting him every time mentioning 'feelers'.

The Pokédex doesn't call the feelers anything. Which is weird because that means they neglected an important part of Sylveon, which Ash notified Professor Oak of.

Naturally, the Professor instantly updated it. Much to Ash's chagrin, it was called 'feelers'.

Oh, but was it mentioned that Sylveon's hidden ability appeared after that night they slept together and the aura bond was made between the two? Yes, Sylveon unlocked her Pixilate ability and Ash with all of his damn knowledge decided to teach the Sylveon Hyper Voice.

A fairy type _boosted_ Hyper Voice, which is a pretty widespread and powerful attack, that makes it _devastating_ and _awesome_.

Those were Ash's words.

Ash never knew why, but he was _much_ calmer after Sylveon joined his team. His Pokédex also mentioned something about the ribbons calming down fights, but perhaps it meant calm down the violent emotions?

That means the aura bond with Sylveon was a blessing in disguise.

Pikachu, Ninetales and Espeon all improved as well. At first, Pikachu had to run ahead or jump backwards to get the ball correct but now the Pikachu just walked on all fours and hit it in the air calmly. 50 kilograms became _nothing_ to the Pokémon in _five_ days.

Then again, Pikachu can hit a Golem away with Iron Tail. Even a Tyranitar. Why would his tail not be stronger?

Ninetales also began developing some more psychic attacks. Truthfully, Ash just mentioned that Brock should start with confusion which is a great psychic move if used right.

Caitlin agreed with that.

Oh, talking about Caitlin… Her Espeon tripped a _lot_ of times. Perhaps the psychic type Eeveelution was a klutz? No matter because whoever laughed got that 100 kilogram ball in their face.

Tyranitar can attest to that when he laughed at the Espeon for tripping when she was trying to walk around with the ball again during a small break.

The pseudo-legendary shut up after that and the others laughed at his expense. Well, the Tyranitar didn't really fight against it either because he deserved it.

Such a strange Tyranitar, being so very calm.

"Oh, look there. I see people," Brock called out as he was a little ahead of the other two who now wore some light clothing to match the heat of the area.

"Hmm? Oh, you're right. I do question why there are no fighting types that have more muscle power… I mean, there's about three Machoke helping out. That's not enough at all," Ash mumbled in confusion.

Brock shrugged, "Maybe trainers are to bring their own?"

Caitlin giggled in amusement. "My psychic types would be useful then. Those rocks weigh nothing if they use psychic," she offered.

"Oh, great idea!" Brock grinned as he thought about his own Pokémon. "Steelix can make a starting cavern. I bet there are no fossils in the nearby rocks as they're much deeper so having Steelix start to dig for a deeper area would be a good idea."

Ash nodded in agreement. "I can let out Meowth with his natural night vision and Gengar as well to get some torches or something in the walls so we can get in and mine," offered the boy.

"Seems like we're ready then!" Caitlin said cheerfully.

Valencia whined a bit at not being able to help and Ash turned to the fairy type with a small smile. "Why don't you help me carry useless rocks onto a cart? I can let Hermit carry the carts outside so we can focus on digging."

The Sylveon instantly cheered up and happily wrapped her ribbon-like feelers around Ash's wrist, walking alongside him whilst humming just a little song that Caitlin began introducing the Sylveon to.

Perhaps Caitlin was trying to teach the Sylveon sing? That'd be pretty damn useful too.

Now if only Sylveon could learn Dream Eater…

Either way, it's time to get some fossils! Let the fun begin!

"Can't wait to see if we can get Brock a fossil Pokémon this time! What do you think Caitlin? Do you also want a fossil Pokémon?" Ash asked Caitlin, who was now walking next to him. Brock was still ahead, so.

"Yes, that seems interesting. Mm, if I do manage to get a fossil Pokémon, I sure hope it's a Pokémon like Lileep or Cradily. Perhaps a Shieldon. I find those interesting," Caitlin smiled slightly.

"Interesting choices. Defensive based, hm," Ash thought about the ideas. Shrugging, Ash just smiled at Caitlin. "Ah well. Let's just get going. We'll find what we find and if it's anything you like you can just discuss it. Heck, maybe we can find an ancient Egg? Those are pretty rare as well because eggs usually break upon fossilizing."

 _Egg eh? Once again, another side effect of being different. This time, Caitlin obtains Togepi._

* * *

"Oh! Ash, Brock, Caitlin! Nice to see you three!" Leaf waved cheerfully at the sight of the three trainers. Gary was currently at the back, discussing about methods of digging up fossils. So far the head of the operation couldn't object against his ideas it seemed.

"Leaf! Nice to see you again," Ash smiled at his childhood friend.

"Nice to see you again." Both Brock and Caitlin nodded their head towards Leaf in greeting.

Leaf just smiled, "We've actually found a fossil Pokémon so far! I've got this adorable little Cranidos. Weird because he was asleep and not a fossil, but hey!" Leaf waved her hand to the small Pokémon next to her.

Ash blinked a few times at the sight of the blue helmet with small horns attached and the dinosaurian figure. Definitely a Pokémon that enjoys to give a good ol' headbutt.

"Nice to meet you, Cranidos," Ash greeted the fossil Pokémon that looked uninterested until seeing Ash's eyes.

A good trainer. Not bad.

" _Nice to see you too. I take it you are one of the humans that will attempt to find fossils of my fellow Pokémon back in the day?_ " Cranidos greeted the trainer in front of him. While Gary was still practicing to understand the language of Pokémon, Ash could do it easily.

Nodding slightly, Ash called out Meowth to translate this. After all, it wouldn't do to talk with the Cranidos himself.

"Oh! Another fossil Pokémon. Nice t'meet ya, the name's Meowth." Meowth offered a paw to the Cranidos that looked interested at the sight of a Pokémon speaking the human language. Offering a claw in return, they 'shook hands' so to say.

" _I see. Methods of communication are made… That is interesting. Well, I can tell you guys ahead now, that you need to watch out._ " Cranidos began as his red eyes moved to Leaf, suddenly looking a lot more protective.

 _Damn Leaf, just how do you get so many Pokémon that like to protect you?_

"Why's dat?" Meowth asked after translating it to the humans around him.

" _For some reasons, some fossils have 'woken up'. I'm not sure what it was, but it reenergized the fossils to the point they began to restore to their former nature. Back in the cavern there are a bunch of Omanyte, Kabuto and their respective evolutions. There's an Aerodactyl as well. So far it's been going alright but I'm worried what may happen if an Aerodactyl wakes up."_

Translating it to the humans again, Leaf decided to take the lead.

"If an Aerodactyl wakes up, we just have to beat it. We're pretty tough y'know?" Leaf spoke to the Cranidos.

" _Oh? Well, I would not know really. I just found your presence to be calming and I like to be with you. Hence why I walked up to you when you found that small hidden cavern. Well, that and I'd probably die of hunger there._ "

After Meowth translated it again, Leaf giggled in amusement. "Why thank you, Cranidos," her hand gently pet the Head Butt Pokémon's back, making the fossil Pokémon close its eyes for a bit.

"Still, this is pretty dangerous news. I take it you know where the cavern is? It just means we need to avoid it," Ash started whilst folding his arms. He would like a small break, thank you kindly.

Cranidos nodded his head.

To be honest, Ash was surprised the Cranidos was so calm and intelligent. Were he and his friends both blessed and cursed at the same time with finding Pokémon to join their teams?

That definitely explained it though because a Cranidos is usually a lot less intelligent thanks to their nature of using headbutts. Then again, bigger brain doesn't mean one is smarter.

Pokédexes often have misconceptions within them. Ash had to wonder why… Another part of information to message to the Professor.

Leaf turned her head to Ash before giggling, "Don't worry, I've already told the Professor about Cranidos being far calmer and more intelligent than the Pokédex reveals. Perhaps the ones that are found are just rampaging ones?"

The Cranidos heard what they said and turned around a bit. " _True. My species is very susceptible to anger. Sadly our evolution's name was based on it, "Rampardos" which includes the word "Rampage". A shame, but it can't be avoided."_

Ash and Leaf chuckled nervously when Meowth translated it. Either way, the group went ahead to the location and Ash saw that people tried to start digging here. Bad idea.

Time to act as the bad guy for a bit, but they'll have to understand.

"Glacia! Freeze this entire area of the Grampa Canyon so nobody can dig through it for a while!"

Putting aura into Glacia's Cherish Ball, the massive shiny Aurorus let out a loud roar before ice sprouted from the grounds. It gradually became larger and thicker to the point it'd take a good two weeks for it to melt before someone could actually dig into the location.

 _One problem solved. Now the head of the operation's nagging._

Luckily for Ash, the head was just far too amazed at the sight of one of the possibly rarest fossil Pokémon there is.

Seeing a large man rush up to them with a stern expression, a thick beard and pair of eyebrows making it look a little silly, was pretty amusing.

"Young man! Why did you freeze this area?!" The man shouted out in Ash's face, making his eye twitch. Why would they assume he did it to _mess with them_?

Ah well, can't help the man. He sounds like one of those who only think about the results, not how it might go.

Ash nodded to Meowth and Cranidos, both who stepped up in front of him.

Yet again, the man had to stare. A _second_ living Fossil Pokémon? It seems they've attracted quite the attention then.

Meowth took the lead, "It seems dat sum of dem Fossils are restored by some weird energy. Cranidos here was one of 'em," Meowth aimed his paw to the Head Butt Pokémon that nodded his head. "He mentioned that there were living Fossil Pokémon in that direction, which is very dangerous for any person. There's also an Aerodactyl down dere."

The man's eyes widened in slight fear. It seems the man had a brain after all.

"I-I see… I apologize for snapping at you, young man. Let me call some men to seal this area off." With that, the man turned around and started shouting louder than an Exploud, ordering men and Pokémon to seal off the entire frozen area as 'off limits'.

 _Lives were saved now and no unnecessary drama happened… or is there?_

* * *

 **TIC… TIC… TIC…**

Pickaxes were slamming against the walls, trying to go further. The group of five were trying to get a fossil each as they were digging through the area to at least get some fossils.

Brock wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Y'know, it's a pretty good feeling to work like this once in a while. The reward would feel a lot better," he chuckled.

Gary laughed a little. "You're right about that Brock! I just wish I got a fossil Pokémon myself! Can't get left behind by the other two!"

Leaf and Caitlin let out sighs.

 _'Men…_ '

Ash chuckled as he was using his pickaxe to dig into the wall. "Well, it could be worse y'know. We could fall into some cavern like the one I made Glacia freeze," Ash offered.

Brock and Gary shook their heads in the negative. "No thanks! That'd be _way_ too much trouble."

"Still, there can be other living fossils you know," Brock mentioned as he rubbed his chin.

"Well, that's true. You've also let Steelix dig pretty deep. I wonder if there are any underground caverns other than the one Cranidos mentioned?" Ash mumbled as he heard someone crushing rocks.

Specifically, a Cranidos eating a rock filled with minerals.

" _What? I was hungry,_ " the Cranidos mentioned as the group stared at the fossil Pokémon.

Brock nodded sagely. "Rock types can eat rocks, that's a fact."

Ash chuckled a little as he finally hit hard enough, making a thin wall crumble. Blinking a few times, Ash stared in front of him.

Well, downwards.

"Hey guys. There's an underground lake here," He called out to his friends, making the others quickly join him.

"Oh, you're right! Those stones give off natural light too!" Gary instantly looked interested and the group began to dig open the wall further so they could get down.

Brock pat Ash on his shoulder, "You can go first Ash. Let's see what's down there."

Nodding, Ash was the first to go. Instead of using the rope the group prepared, he carefully jumped down on rocky areas until he reached the floor.

Hey, what can you blame him for? It's only about an eight meter fall.

 _Let's neglect the fact that a normal human wouldn't survive that._

"Mmm… It looks beautiful here. There's also fresh air, I wonder why," Ash mumbled as he scanned the area. He called out Pikachu and Hermit for defense.

Valencia also jumped down quickly, following her trainer. It's obvious she wouldn't let him go alone.

"I'll go next," Brock muttered as he grabbed the rope and went down. Like that, the rest of the group went down to scout the area.

* * *

 _Voices?_

Eyes opened in the area as they could _hear_ voices from above the water. Why is that?

Were they not only few of that survived?

 _Let's see what the voices are. Perhaps there is food._

* * *

Brock looked down in the clear water of the natural lake. "It's quite clear. I wonder if there are any Pokémon down here?"

 _Jinx._

A small figure popped out and fired a water gun in Brock's face, making the teen jump backwards and fall on his rear end, spitting out water.

 _"Ano, anoorith,_ " a voice was heard, sounding extremely amused.

The voice was soon joined by another. " _Tiihiirt,"_ also sounding extremely amused.

Brock opened his eyes fully to see two Pokémon. Perhaps, two Pokémon that can be considered extremely rare.

One is an Anorith. A Rock/Bug type Pokémon that is known to swim around in the ocean and capable of using water type moves. It's a greenish-gray arthropod Pokémon with stalks extending from either side of its head to reveal two, big amused eyes. An X like mouth was seen underneath the figure as Brock could just see underneath the fossil Pokémon. Its two large claws held onto the rock at the end of the lake as its eyes looked at the boy intrigued. It hadn't seen humans in _ages_ and this one dressed strangely.

Another was a turtle-like figure. A Tirtouga, much rarer than others of its species due to its greenish skin - which meant it was a shiny. Its head was covered by a shell for defense and the shell on its back was also quite large, showing that it had an extremely high defense. Six circular indents were soon, for what reason nobody knew yet. Small armor parts were seen at the front of its flippers.

Brock blinked a few times as the others soon rushed up to him and helped him up, making the teen look down at the two ancient Pokémon. "An Anorith and a Tirtouga? You guys are quite rare you know," Brock mentioned as he began rummaging through his backpack for a moment. It didn't take long before he found what he wanted and smiled a little at grabbing two Sitrus berries, placing them in front of the two Pokémon.

Tirtouga was the first one to happily dig in. Anorith had to lean over the berry a bit and hid it from view as both fossil Pokémon ate hungrily.

" _More of my time's Pokémon it seems,_ " Cranidos mentioned as he walked up to the group with an intrigued look in his eyes.

" _Delicious!_ " the Tirtouga was crying happily as he ate. The Anorith wasn't much different as it ate quickly before the two finished the berries quickly and stared up at the breeder that gave them the two berries.

" _More?_ " With that question two sets of eyes suddenly became larger and teary, seeming like little puppies that wanted some more food.

Brock stared at them in unhidden amazement. Why the heck can those two use puppy eyes? _HOW DO THAT ANORITH'S EYES GROW IN SIZE?!_

Too amazed to refuse, he just grabbed two other berries, this time being two oran berries. It seems the two fossil Pokémon loved them too as they happily ate the berries.

"So you two are the only ones here?" Brock asked them when they finished, probably having eaten berries for the first time in ages.

The Pokémon in question blinked in surprise. Why would a _human_ ask them a question? Still, they'll amuse the human.

" _Yes, in this area we are. There is a Shieldon in the small cave past those large rocks and a bunch of weird rocks. I think they look like a Tyrunt's jaw?_ "

Ash, since they were alone in this area, just translated it with a chuckle.

" _Shieldon?_ " Gary questioned with eyes glimmering in intrigue. He'd definitely like it if a Shieldon would join his party. "Would that Shieldon be interested in traveling with me?" Gary asked the Tirtouga who seemed to be the speaker of the two.

" _I guess so. The Shieldon often complains that the rocks are starting to get old and that he'd like some adventure instead of rotting in these caves,_ " the Tirtouga spoke.

Gary, hearing that after Ash translated, disappeared in an anime-like dust cloud much to the surprise of the others. Then they looked towards where the Tirtouga pointed out where a Shieldon would be and blinked at seeing Gary already there.

"That… was pretty fast. Guess he wants a Shieldon more than you, Caitlin," Ash poked the psychic-type trainer who began giggling a little.

Brock was the first to recover and turned to the two fossil Pokémon. He'll get one of the jaw fossils before he leaves too. Definitely going to raise those three rare rock-types! It's in his blood!

"Would you two like to join me then? These are Pokéballs," Brock showed the two fossil Pokémon a pair of empty Pokéballs. "A Pokémon can be captured within one of these and they are often used to travel around with the trainer so they can battle and/or see new sights."

" _Will we get more food?_ " the Tirtouga asked the main question. It was important to the two fossils, who only ate rocks or old, disgusting moss. There's a reason why this area is so clean.

"Of course. I'll prepare the best food I can for you and train you two the best I can," Brock smiled at the two fossils that now looked quite interested. Food and training? That means they could evolve too!

" _Is it worth it joining you?_ " the Anorith began, staring at Brock. Brock, hearing that had to think.

Is he worth it to raise two fossil Pokémon?

"Well, I can show you what a friend of mine managed to raise. He also raised a Pokémon from your time," Brock nodded to Ash who shrugged. Putting aura into Glacia's ball, he called out the massive shiny Aurorus again who now looked down at the two smaller fossil Pokémon with interested eyes.

" _Nice to meet you, Anorith and Tirtouga. I am called Glacia, an Aurorus,_ " the Aurorus introduced herself to the two fossils that couldn't help but stare in awe.

 _They could get that strong when they travel with those guys? It's a deal!_

" _"We'll join you, human. What is your name?_ ""

"The name's Brock. I am a Pokémon Breeder, Doctor and Rock-type specialist even if I use other types of Pokémon as well," Brock introduced himself to the two fossils.

Both Anorith and Tirtouga were interested. Very much so. That's why it wasn't strange that they moved their claw and flipper to the two Pokéballs being held. Touching the Pokéballs, they let themselves be captured by Brock.

"Well congratulations Brock," Caitlin congratulated the former Gym Leader with a happy smile.

Leaf giggled as Brock seemed to be frozen. Definitely because he thought he'd never be able to get a Pokémon like that.

Ash and Glacia looked at each other in amusement. Valencia and Pikachu were just laughing while Hermit remained quiet and paid attention to the surroundings to see if any other fossil Pokémon managed to dig his way here.

Brock finally stopped freezing up as he happily jumped up, probably because he achieved something like that.

"I captured an Anorith and Tirtouga, a shiny one at that! Heck yeah!" He cheered happily. The others couldn't blame him as they all laughed and cheered.

Even Gary soon joined them with a Shieldon walking next to him, looking at the scene in wonder as well as at the Aurorus with amazement.

"Hey guys! Shieldon wanted to join me too. I also got a pair of fossils here. One seems to be an egg and the other is a Jaw Fossil," Gary began and Brock instantly placed his hand on the Jaw Fossil with a serious face.

"Can I raise the Jaw fossil? If I'm right, that's a Tyrunt." He spoke with a serious voice, something that showed he just wanted to raise such a hard to raise Pokémon.

Gary shrugged and handed it over to Brock who carefully placed it in his bag.

Caitlin looked at the egg with intrigue before Ash blinked a few times. "Uhh, Gary. That's not a fossil, there's just dirt on the egg. _A lot of dirt_."

"Huh? Really?" He blinked a few times as he began to wipe the egg, noticing that indeed, the egg was just _that_ dirty.

Caitlin held her hand up, "Could I raise the egg? I wonder what Pokémon may come out of it."

Gary shrugged and the others didn't object. Why would they? They already found rare Pokémon each.

Caitlin happily held the egg against her chest after she got it. It was a pure white egg with red and blue markings all over it. _Togepi's egg._

Perhaps because the Togepi inside of it was born with Extrasensory, but Ash could've _sworn_ he saw a small link of energy between the egg and Caitlin.

Yes, that egg definitely belonged to her.

"How about we go up and start preparing some food, a feast maybe. We definitely found a lot of rare Pokémon, a fossil and an egg that somehow still lives," Ash raised the idea.

The others cheered in agreement!

* * *

After the group got out of their little digging site, they set up camp in the Grampa Canyon with Brock, Ash, Leaf and Caitlin working together to prepare some food. Gary was currently checking all the Pokémon to see if there were any problems to the Shieldon, Anorith and Tirtouga. Other than that, he began to talk to his new Pokémon, introducing himself properly and the likes.

The scent of food was quite delicious as time passed. The fossil Pokémon could only stare in awe at the _delicious_ scent that just made them drool slightly.

Like that, the fossil Pokémon suffered torture for at least 30 minutes before Arceus herself gave them a present. _Food_ that just tasted _heavenly_.

Special Pokéchow was used for their typings, berries were mixed, small try-out recipes were made for them to try out and decide which one they liked more.

Heck, all of the surrounding Pokémon ate happily at the rare special treat of having so much to eat and drink. It seems the newly caught Pokémon were accepted pretty fast.

Ash's Sylveon and Gary's Umbreon seemed to have a little trouble with each other though. Perhaps it's their typing but the two absolutely _refused_ to be with each other.

Eh, Ash isn't a love doctor.

* * *

Night came pretty fast. After a good day spent under the hot, scorching sun the cold and harsh night arrived in the Grampa Canyon. Naturally, some trainers were still digging around for the day trying to capture or find any rare fossil Pokémon but so far there was only a single lucky guy with a Kabuto that fell from the ceiling of a small cavern.

The group of five went to sleep in their respective tents to catch some sleep and prepare themselves for the next day. Now that the group had their fossil trip completed successfully, it was time for Cinnabar Island.

But it seems that trouble followed them all.

A massive explosion occurred at the frozen area, where most likely an idiot tried to use explosives and the entire area there collapsed into the massive cavern underneath.

The group moved almost as fast as lightning when they rushed out of their tents, packed oh so quickly and prepared to run away in case something might go _after them_ … until they spotted a hole in the Canyon.

A damn crevice actually. There was ice blasted all around the crevice so that meant that that was the sealed off area.

Ash, who saw that, let out a sigh.

"Guys? I think we got some idiots trying to go into forbidden areas because it looked different," Ash turned to his friends that shrugged in agreement.

"Their loss, really…" Gary mumbled with an apathetic look. Really, what idiot would jump down there?

"True, but now that Aerodactyl might get out. Maybe a Kabutops or two as well," Ash stressed a bit.

Leaf shrugged without any interest. "Nidoqueen can handle the Kabutops. If the Aerodactyl comes out, who wants to fight it?"

Caitlin and Ash raised their hands before smiling at each other.

"Metagross and Talonflame will do. Both of them can at least fly in the air and battle the Aerodactyl in air. That means no damage will be done to the ground,"

They could hear the beats of large wings. A roar echoed throughout the entire Grampa Canyon, waking up all who tried to sleep through the explosion and those who didn't hear it because they were in a soundproof area previously.

Small slashes of air and rock were heard as well. Kabutops were most likely trying to escape that cavern and get some food outside of it.

Out of the crevice came an Aerodactyl and between its claws was a boy Ash, Gary and Leaf _knew_.

"Is that Ritchie?" Leaf asked.

"That's Ritchie alright." Ash confirmed.

"Yup. Ritchie. Called it that he'll do something stupid," Gary added at the end.

They looked down to see a girl screaming in fair while running away from some Omanyte, Omastar and Kabuto. She had bright orange hair in the form of a ponytail to the left, making them blink.

"Why doesn't she use a Pokémon to battle or escape?" Ash asked Leaf with absolute calm. It felt like this was just a TV-show.

"I have no idea, Ash. No idea." Leaf sighed as she grabbed a second Pokéball.

"Lapras! Body slam those fossil Pokémon! Nidoqueen, take care of all escaping Kabutops!"

Misty, who was running away for dear life after attempting to capture a Fossil Pokémon because they were water types felt extremely stupid. Why did she follow Ritchie here again? Oh right, that idiot decided to stop that team Rocket's dynamite!

That was also when she noticed there was a large shadow now covering her, making her stop running and look up. A _massive_ figure of what appeared to be the underbelly, fully charged with with white energy was falling downwards to the fossil Pokémon.

That was one of her favorite Pokémon. A Lapras. One of the rarest and most beautiful water-type Pokémon that exists and she wanted to _capture_ it…. but it was definitely a trainer Pokémon because there is no way a Lapras would appear just like that.

A shame.

She saw that the Body Slam attack instantly crushed all the Fossil Pokémon and took her chance. She threw two Pokéballs, capturing a Kabuto and an Omanyte before thanking the Lapras and looking up to see a massive Nidoqueen kick and punch down multiple Kabutops.

Ritchie's Charmeleon was roaring in rage in the distance, probably because the Aerodactyl _refused_ to acknowledge the Charmeleon. After it evolved it became so cocky that it was hard to believe it was the same, strong Charmander. The Charmeleon began to shine a bright white, but then something else took her attention.

A _phoenix_ was flying upwards. Massive, surrounded by fire and did she repeat… massive?

* * *

"Falcon! Flare Blitz into Brave Bird and make that Aerodactyl let go of Ritchie!" Ash called out his second Pokémon, the royal, Shiny Talonflame that was all too eager to battle against a prehistoric Pokémon.

"Metagross! Capture that boy for me, will you?" Caitlin threw her Pokéball into the air with Metagross collapsing his arms in his body and starting to fly upwards to get underneath the Aerodactyl.

The Aerodactyl thought it had an easy meal, but right now… It was in more danger than ever. The prehistoric predator noticed that there was something _hot_ going in his direction and stared down only to screech in surprise at getting a face full of flames, boosted by the Brave Bird. The Aerodactyl's head _snapped_ up so hard it was almost as if its neck broke and the claws let go of Ritchie who didn't have to fall for long because a huge, blue Pokémon caught him.

Though it definitely _hurt_ , at least he didn't _die_.

Metagross immediately flew downwards to the ground where he used Psychic to get Ritchie off. After that, the pseudo-legendary of Hoenn flew back up in the air to assist the battling Talonflame.

Truthfully, Falcon didn't need help at all. The Aerodactyl was so hungry it couldn't think clearly and kept trying to bite and rip off his wings. Well…

 _Steel wing!_ The Talonflame charged at the Aerodactyl that opened its waiting jaws for a 'snack' and the result was… his teeth breaking in pieces thanks to the superior power of Steel Wing, alongside the added defense.

Forcing the Aerodactyl backwards thanks to the added speed of the charge and the Aerodactyl that was far too shocked that his teeth broke was forced to move along. The Talonflame then moved downwards, making the Aerodactyl fall down.

That was also the cue of Metagross who began to fall downwards with a Meteor Mash charged. That Aerodactyl will go _down_ and go down it did. The full weight of a Metagross, plus gravity and a fully charged Meteor Mash was slammed into the stomach of an Aerodactyl. But that wasn't all it seemed.

A Charizard grabbed the Aerodactyl from behind and began spinning as the Aerodactyl was hit towards the ground, adding a spin. _Seismic Toss_ was used as the Charizard threw the Aerodactyl back into the crevice before landing on the ground and _roaring_ at defeating the enemy.

By now, luckily for Misty, she was out with the help of Caitlin's Gardevoir. Lapras was of course returned to her pokéball.

"Tyranitar! Steelix! Golem! Golett! Earthquake and seal up that crevice!" Brock roared his order to his four Pokémon, two of each on the side of the crevice. All of the Pokémon began to charge their strength and hit the earth making it shake to the point it was almost a fissure move.

Earth cracked and the sides of the crevice were soon falling apart. Massive rocks were blown downwards, not caring if there were ancient Pokémon down there underneath. They'll survive if they survived the prehistoric times. If they do survive and get out, well… they'll be weakened enough for the average trainer to defeat.

Ash quickly returned his Talonflame when the crevice was sealed up and Caitlin did the same with Metagross. No need to attract even more attention.

Ritchie seemed to have passed out from the fall and shock so he was currently on the floor. His usually arrogant Charizard nudged him with his nose before shaking his head in slight disappointment.

"Seems like you've evolved from that little Charmander," Ash smiled as he walked up to Ritchie's Charizard. The Charizard turned to the one that said it and blinked at the sight of Ash.

"Hey Charizard. Can't forget about me right?" He held out a fist which the Charizard happily bumped.

" _Been a while. Traveling with Ritchie is… stressful. He makes stupid calls too,_ " Charizard shook his head. " _He says I don't listen but he makes no actions to correct it. He also doesn't train us with small, or any at all, weights like you did to raise the starter Pokémon to a little higher level than before._ "

Ash nodded with a sad smile. "You know he'll improve Charizard. He can't be like me who spent his time with Pokémon ever since he was 5 and studied like a madman."

" _Hmph… Sometimes I wish,_ " the Charizard huffed.

Ash laughed a little as he began to walk away. But before he left, he had to leave behind a piece of information.

"If Ritchie were me, he'd long have died. Trust me that my journey is messed up. Well, Kanto is so far. I'm sure the Orange Islands will be nice."

The Charizard nodded before sitting down and waiting for his trainer to wake up. He wondered if he should called out Sparky.

Oh, right, his name was Zippo… Maybe it's because of his evolution that he thinks the name is stupid? Eh, Ritchie can't understand him so he'll be stuck with it. Sadly.

 _Sigh. Why do some children name their Pokémon so ridiculously. Heck, even Flame would be a better name than Zippo._

* * *

After that little panic outbreak - and apparently the group made Team Rocket members trapped underground, not that they knew of that. Misty did mention them but the group acted as if they didn't hear her. It's not like they ended up under the rocks - they just went for some rest in the wild. No tents, just sleeping outside in sleeping bags. The sky was pretty clear.

That night was just some silent sleep, and in Ash's case meditation.. No problems, no complaints, no explosions, no roaring fossil Pokémon and no legendary Pokémon popping up to make the day worse.

Ash can officially say that this trip for fossils was well spent.

It also seems Gary took to meditation as well because he later that night sat down next to Ash and when the group woke up in the morning they found two boys in a perfectly mirrored position whilst meditating.

It was a little freaky for them.

Valencia did solve the problem by gently using her feelers to tickle Ash and Gary, snapping them out of their meditation which they weren't really angry for, but still embarrassed because they ended up rolling around from laughter when Valencia gained a devilish glint in her eyes and continued longer than necessary. They were ticklish!

So there we ended up again with the group preparing to leave Grampa Canyon. They didn't want to stick around for more fossils because they had a feeling that it'd only end up in stupid problems. There's also the fact that people might complain because they found so many fossil Pokémon and an actual egg.

"So you'll take a cruise to Cinnabar Island? Hmm. Not bad. How about we do the same, Leaf?" Gary asked his traveling partner.

Leaf just shrugged. "I don't mind. It's a nice break and we have enough time for the last official eight badges."

Ash just chuckled as Brock and Caitlin let out small huffs of amusement.

Gary rose an eyebrow as he heard that. "What?"

Brock shook his head a little. "We had the exact same conversation. But we'll leave with Caitlin's butler Darach. You might need to go on a different one," Brock spoke.

Gary shrugged. "Gramps has a few men at the coast. We'll fly there using Fearow and Altaria. They'll probably let us get on board."

Nodding to Gary, the group prepared to leave by foot. "See you next time then, Gary. Next time it'll probably be at Pallet Town," Ash waved his two childhood friends off that smiled and waved back.

"You better get stronger Ashy, or you'll regret it!"

"Don't forget to tell me if there's any rare Pokémon around!" Leaf shouted at the end.

Gary looked at Leaf with a deadpan. "You seriously are addicted to finding rare Pokémon and completing the Pokédex."

"Oh shut up. It's also for you and Ash to improve as professor and trainer respectively."

"Heh. True."

 _They separated again. Perhaps only for a day or two they had time to be with each other but it seems the road is a long one. They can't sit still for too long after all; the more time wasted the more the opposition becomes stronger._

* * *

A week. It took them an entire week to reach the docks where Darach is waiting.

They had to avoid so many things. A gambling city that just _can't_ be considered safe for anyone, a thief, accidentally walking into a Bulbasaur reservoir (that Venusaur was one mean guy) and some guy stalking them to get pictures of their Pokémon.

Let it be known that if Caitlin has a stalker, she has a sixth sense to spot him. She isn't a happy camper when she notices that she's being followed.

Being rich and famous does that to you.

So like that, Todd has never introduced himself to the group!

But they can now finally take a cruise towards the Cinnabar Island. A cruise where Ash will experience the nightmares of learning the etiquette of a gentleman.

At least it'll be a peaceful trip.

 _Ash hoped so at least._

* * *

 **What's up everyone! Here's another chapter! Naturally, it's not 12.000 words or anything (those should be rare but most of the time I write way too much for my own good).**

 **So. I heard that I'm harsh for Ash. This is harsh. Aerodactyl can't nom anymore now and Ritchie is pretty much disrespected in this story if the small talk between his Charizard and Ash is anything to go by. The battles in this chapter aren't really fully described because really; try fighting with someone so hungry he can't think clearly.**

 **Caitlin gained an egg. The egg contains Togepi. Pretty obvious, no? I believe Togepi fits her more than it fits Ash. It also allows him to have more get-togethers with Caitlin after she becomes an Elite Four member in the Unova Region.**

 **( I need some 'let's come together and have some fun' moments after all. Even Misty and May got them. )**

 **Brock gained two living fossils. An Anorith and a Shiny Tirtouga. I also gave him the _fossil_ of a Tyrunt so you guys can't complain. I will, however, only restore the fossil for the Orange Islands. Right now - and you'll see in the next chapter - Brock has his hands full on not just his Pokémon but also making sure Ash is alright emotionally. ****He has a lot of pent up stress himself.**

 **Add a carnivorous little Dinosaur and Brock might just snap. A Brock that snaps is a bad Brock. There's a reason why he has so many naturally overpowered Pokémon.**

 **Reasoning for the two living fossils are like this: Anorith and later on Armaldo are great Pokémon that will be a very good help against Grass types because they are part bug-type. Not just that, but I feel they are underused despite being awesome. Tirtouga (Shiny) might not be as obvious when he evolves but a Carracosta is so much potential for Brock's battle style alone. There's also the fact it's part water-type! (Primary water, actually)**

 **Ash also named the Sylveon 'Valencia'. It matches the Brave part at least, part of Valentine, fairy type. Y'all know the reason. Hope you like it.**

 **Now the next chapter'll be about the cruise and finally some good times for Ash. He deserves it. Good guy Ash. Cinnabar won't have any rocket activity so that'll be alright for him too.**

 **Officially, he could stop after Cinnabar but he'll most likely challenge Viridian afterwards to complete his set of Kanto badges.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed today's chapter! Happy Valentine! Reviews are always appreciated.**


	15. Road on Water

**Hello y'all! Welcome to another chapter of Road of the Master! I've been reading your reviews so I'll naturally answer/comment on some of them in this chapter.**

 **Today's chapter is more focused on Ash's growth, Caitlin's rich life and a small event. No real action other than a small sparring description. Some might consider it boring, some might not! It's just one of those neccessary things.**

 **I have to comment now though: Why do I need this ship now? Well, how else will they go through the orange islands? The cruise is at least much faster than Lapras as well as more comfortable.**

 **Here come the reviews!**

 **Sn: I appreciate your ideas. I believe the Meowstic might be a good idea, but only one of them. One should clearly go to Caitlin if they _do_ appear. I _might_ give Ash an egg before they leave the Orange Islands with an Espurr, similar to Caitlin who will receive a twin egg. It's something for in Johto, definitely. I've already decided for a psychic-type in the Orange Islands. **

**xXSakuraBlossomsXx: Some good ideas. Swablu is sadly taken by Leaf, a Psychic type has already been chosen and same for water type. Just to say it now, you've guessed two correctly! Hope you can imagine which ones it'll be as I won't spoil it, haha.**

 **Brie45: Got that right. Ash might get a Togepi in the future, or even a Togetic in Hoenn. It'll do him good to have some variation. The part about a shiny Umbreon, I believe that won't go too well. Gary has an Umbreon already and he currently owns a Sylveon. I will add another Eeveelution once they reach Sinnoh. Which one, I will not say.**

 **Guest: Well… They kind-of did it without listening to Misty and only knew of Team Rocket _after_** **it had been done. With their experience with evil gangs and the fact they didn't hear any human screams, they didn't do anything that worries them. It'll just stop them from bothering Ritchie, who has taken the canon Ash's place, haha. Well, a little bit of canon Ash as I don't want his team to be similar. Charizard's attitude might be one of the things though.**

 **Vital Info: Pikachu's actions are understandable. He grew up in the wild where actions can be _much_ harsher in order to survive. Have you forgotten what the Raichu had done? They threw a pack, where Pikachu originally came from, to the hungry animals whilst they were wounded and those who were special _that hit a little too close home_ were thrown out. It could've gone much worse. The main Raichu, which is trained, will easily survive that. A Pokémon can endure so much more than humans. Imagine Brock's Onix hitting those small starter Pokémon and how they still keep going. That's some massive weight on it. **

**Caitlin's psychic abilities are still a little uncontrollable. She can't sense emotions like her Gardevoir (as she doesn't focus on that skill), and the Pokémon in question often doesn't have the time to actually do so for Ash. Gardevoir is often called out in times of need such as against that massive amount of Crobat which requires her full attention. That's pure hostile intent from the opposite side. Feeling Ash's emotions sounds impossible.**

 **As for the cuddling… Read today's chapter!**

 **I might as well mention two Pokémon that Ash will capture in the Orange Island arc. Lapras and Slowking will go to him, Lapras for being a transport Pokémon that will no doubt be very helpful in various regions and Slowking as he follows the 'Chosen One'. I like the idea for Caitlin with Chimecho as it's a nice Pokémon. Brock studying the Crystal Onix will receive a special chapter as the Onix will get caught, but by whom I will not say. There's a reason for all kinds of things and you'll find out when I write it hehe.**

 **As for Brock's captures… Shuckle has already been captured for him, although the Pokémon is staying at the gym as I haven't mentioned Shuckle much. A Rhydon will definitely appear (as in the giant one). One that is similar to how Ash's Snorlax moved from island to island; swimming.**

 **And that's it for comments! Some explanations and some small spoilers!**

 **I hope you like today's chapter everyone. By the way: Milestone 200k words has been reached.**

* * *

When they arrived at the docks, Caitlin was instantly greeted by her ever so faithful servant. "Good afternoon, lady Caitlin. As per your orders, I, Darach, have arrived with a cruise worthy of your status."

Caitlin gave the butler a small smile of appreciation. "Why thank you, Darach. These two gentlemen are the trainers I have met on the road and I accompany Ash, and his friend Brock, as they travel through Kanto for the league challenge. He proves to be quite a competent trainer but I believe a break is necessary. To rest the mind," Caitlin introduced her two companions to her butler who nodded and bowed to them.

"My name is Darach. I am one of the Battle Frontier Leaders, the Battle Castle Leader, to be specific. It is an honor to meet two of milady's friends," Darach properly introduced himself.

Ash gave a small nod. "My name is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. I'm currently running the League Challenge in order to qualify for the Championship."

Brock decided to go next, "Brock Slate, former Gym Leader of Pewter City. I currently travel with Ash to learn more about the path of a breeder and a doctor. Traveling with Ash allows me to do so."

Caitlin smiled a little bit at the sight. "Come now, Darach, please escort us to our rooms in the cruise ship. I believe either a shower or a bath is preferred before a meal and some rest. We have been traveling for quite some time."

Darach instantly perked up with a smile on his face. "It will be done, milady!"

Turning to the two friends of his employee, he asked them to follow him onto the ship. Caitlin walked alongside them as she took in the familiar sights of her family's cruise ship.

"This ship is quite amazing," whispered Ash in awe. On the outside, the ship was similar to that of the S.S. Anne albeit a lot smaller as it is intended for at most, 50 guests. It had a large open area in the back that is most likely meant for battling and a smaller one at the front which is meant for relaxation. The side revealed its name, "Lapis Lazuli", which is most likely based on Caitlin.

"Indeed. I knew you came of a richer background, but this surprises even me Caitlin," Brock commented as he also took in the sights.

Giving them a giggle, Caitlin decided to tease them a bit. "Wait until you see the inside of the ship and all the facilities it has."

Ash and Brock couldn't reply yet as they soon came inside to reveal a large hallway. The entire hallway appeared to be based on wood as it revealed a Mahogany-theme. In the middle of the floor was a large carpet that extended from the beginning to the end of the hall. On the walls there were paintings seen every now and then based on beautiful sights around the world. There were also some rectangle windows to reveal a more luxurious view instead of the usual circle windows on ships. The ceiling in the hallway revealed some chandeliers, as the ceiling was much higher than expected in a ship.

If this was the hallway, how would the rooms look? No, ignore the rooms; how would the facilities be? This hallway alone would've cost a fortune.

"I see that you are entranced by the view," Darach began as he revealed a proud smile. "This ship was made for lady Caitlin. It is meant for her to travel around the world on the ocean. This ship is full of technology that is still at the very top of what this world has to offer. Many facilities contain technology that is far ahead of what is usually seen. We have had many scientists, technicians and various other men work on this ship in order to obtain perfection. Defense against the weather, the battles that may be done either inside or outside, a lot of Pokémon are needed to actually crack the floor as it's estimated to be capable of holding 2.000kg. Let's not even talk about how the boat stays up with all that weight, ha ha ha! There is so much to tell, but so little time. I take it milady wishes to rest first?"

Caitlin simply nodded.

Darach revealed a gentle smile. "Then let me escort you to your rooms. As per Lady Caitlin's request, you two have received two high class rooms meant for the more important guests. Please be careful with some of the equipment and do not break anything."

The two boys simply nodded in agreement. It was obvious that they wouldn't break anything on this ship. They didn't want some rich family going after their asses in the end.

Caitlin giggled as she could pick up what they were thinking by their facial expressions.

* * *

Ash, Brock and Caitlin received different rooms of course. The rooms were large enough to keep in most tall Pokémon, as they were made for those who wanted to keep them out. There were only 5 of these rooms as far as Ash understood during the trip here. Understandable as it really is _large_. He could fit Brock's Steelix and Golett in it.

Smiling at the thought, Ash called out his team. Pikachu, Meowth, Hermit and Trickster and Valencia were placed at a smaller area so they aren't crushed when he called out his Falcon and Glacia, both of whom noticed that they were inside but at a rather spacious area.

"Hey guys. We're on a cruise right now so we're having a two week break. That doesn't mean we won't train, but at least there won't be any drama," Ash explained with a grin.

The others cheered happily as they'd enjoy some time where they can just rest and train whenever they wanted.

"Of course, this is all on Caitlin so when you guys see her, thank her," scolded Ash with a smile still on his face.

Everyone nodded in agreement before they scanned the area.

In one part is the trainer's 'room'. It's basically fenced off a bit from the rest. They could see the bedroom first. A large king-sized bed that looks so comfortable one could sleep on it all day was on top of a large Pokéball-like rug. Next to it was a wardrobe where one can put his clothes and/or get some of the bathrobes and towels he might need. There appears to be some swimsuits made for men as Caitlin most likely mentioned it to Darach.

How nice of her.

Other than that, there is a large snack machine where the trainer could grab some poffins for all kinds of Pokémon, a water tap in case he gets thirsty at night and of course, a nightstand with an alarm on it.

There was also a large desk with two computer screens on top of it. Most likely meant for some connection to the internet and to search for information in case it's needed, or for the more business-like men, work.

Ash didn't really bother to check the other things. He was a simple boy that'll just enjoy all of the luxuries.

"So, I'm going to take a bath first. Darach mentioned that he'll send some of the crewmembers to give you guys some cleaning too," mentioned Ash with a smile and as if called for various women dressed in maid outfits entered the room.

"That would be correct, sir Ash," the head of the group spoke. This one appeared to be an elderly woman around her sixties. "We will make sure your Pokémon receive some treatment for their fatigue. A massage, wash and some new equipment if they wear anything special," she explained further.

Ash just nodded as he looked at everyone. It seems only Pikachu had an objection as he rose one of his paws. Raising an eyebrow, Ash had to ask, "Yes, Pikachu? What is it?"

" _Can I just take a bath with you? I don't really have a lot of fur plus I like baths,_ " Pikachu commented as he folded his arms in front of his chest.

Ash shrugged in response before turning to the others, "Any objections?" He asked with amusement. Pikachu let out a small squeak of indignation.

It seems nobody really cared as they laughed or smiled in amusement towards the Pikachu. Valencia, Ash's Sylveon, perked up. " _I don't mind if Pikachu joins you Ash. It's his and your choice after all, but I'd like to request some one-on-one training time for each of us. Since we'll most likely be away for two weeks, you can take one week off yourself and give each of us a whole day to be with you. Right everyone?_ "

It seems like it was a good idea as they all nodded or shrugged in disinterest. Trickster didn't really mind as he was used to being a loner as a Gengar and a Zoroark. It was the same with Sir Aaron. Hermit also seemed not to mind, but he did have a question.

" _Can we spar sometime, Ash?_ " the Greninja asked with an eager look in his eyes. Ash had to chuckle.

"We can spar later, Hermit. No moves though… You'll definitely break my bones because I can't reinforce my entire body yet. Only parts," Ash explained as the Greninja nodded in agreement.

" _Of course. Hurting you is something I don't want to do, especially not after seeing you like that at the S.S. Anne._ " Ash let a smile appear on his face.

"You know you don't have to watch out for me all the time Hermit. You sound more and more like a ninja serving his lord," Ash teased his Kalos starter.

The Greninja gained a small blush of embarrassment on his face as he rubbed the back of his head, eerily similar to Ash and Pikachu. Yep, it seems they're getting habits similar to Ash.

Ash let out a small laugh, "Don't worry. I appreciate that you care, I really do. For now, why don't you all relax and let the maids do their thing? I'll go take a bath," with that said, the boy left the area to the bathroom. Pikachu just followed him as the Mouse Pokémon liked human facilities more than Pokémon facilities.

After all, the starter stayed at Ash's house for oh so long that he got used to taking baths with his trainer.

So it was time for some pleasant rest in a bath, let his Pokémon receive some special treatment and have a nice meal with them afterwards.

* * *

It was around 5 P.M. when they all arrived at the dining area, which today was outside. Ash instantly called out his Talonflame and Aurorus when he was outside so they could enjoy the fresh air. The cruise already left the docks so they could watch outside, with Falcon simply staying on the deck and staring at the water for a while as Glacia laid down on the ground enjoying the fact the sun was gradually setting.

The smaller Pokémon were all walking alongside Ash. They all looked much more refreshed, even Trickster had a relaxed glint in his eyes as he was walking instead of being in his shadow. The Gengar's usual mad grin was smaller as he looked around when they arrived.

A _massive_ table was there, full of all kinds of food. There was a part meant for the Pokémon, which even had their names and let it be known that Pikachu is a good teacher to some Pokémon. The yellow mouse taught them how to read human language just like Ash had taught him in the past. The only one confused was Sylveon, until she spotted a small picture of a Sylveon on one of the nametags.

Happily moving towards their meal, the larger ones remained there as they couldn't eat from the table. Maids would bring it soon as they could hear Darach ordering them around to get them some food. How nice of him.

Ash joined Caitlin and Brock. Today, he wore a black suit where he kept the jacket open to reveal a white undershirt and a red tie. His usual cap wasn't there and his hair was slicked backwards, making him look like a noble in a way. His usual open, energetic eyes looked half-lidded as he looked around before giving them a calm smile.

"It appears that I am the last to join. I apologize for the wait," Ash spoke calmly, taking some pleasure in seeing their gaping faces. Even Caitlin looked surprised.

Let it be known that Ash knows how to have manners. One does not have a single mother his entire life and not know such things. He even had to join a ball in the past with Professor Oak as the man wanted Ash, Gary and Leaf to join him.

It's just that it takes a lot of effort and that he horribly sucks at the hidden compliments and the like. His looks, he can manage. His actions, he can restrain but his words… There is no restraint.

"Well, well. It looks like Ash does have some manners," joked Brock after having been gaping for a while at the sight.

Caitlin revealed a small smile as she looked at Ash, "My, my. It appears that Ash does know how to present himself in richer areas," she teased.

Ash chuckled a little uncomfortable, revealing an uneasy smile. "It helps when your mother and Professor Oak give you a small crash course for a week before throwing you to the lions at a ball," he admitted.

Caitlin giggled a little. "For now, let us simply enjoy our meal. How about we make a training plan for the following two weeks afterwards, as we enjoy the sights?" Caitlin offered.

Brock simply shrugged. "I don't mind. I'm rather curious at all the facilities but I believe having a training course for my team will help quite a bit."

Ash nodded in agreement with Caitlin, "Training with high class equipment will help quite a bit. The only thing I wish to do is give all my Pokémon a one-on-one each day so they have some time with me alone. I believe that some of them deserve it, really," smiled Ash.

Caitlin and Brock exchanged looks before nodding. "We should do the same, really. Good point Ash. Let's decide it after our meal, Darach is arriving so be at your best manners… I know how you can eat," teased Caitlin.

Ash gained a small embarrassed blush. "Shut up, you. I can eat slowly…"

 _He can't do that if the food is just that delicious though. Something that amused both Caitlin and Brock to no end as Ash received another table manner crash course from Darach._

* * *

After a rather amusing scene for both man and Pokémon, Ash decided that the schedule for training would be pretty easy these two weeks. With superior food in both quality and quantity, they'll definitely grow as much as they can in two weeks as they're still in the famous 'rookie' stage where Pokémon are only capable of wounding them by attacking directly. They enter 'elite' stage after going past the ranks where they can destroy, let's say, an entire building with a single attack. Not with a hyper beam which is known for its destruction, but a thunderbolt or an ice beam.

He hates to admit it, but most of Caitlin's Pokémon were elite level. Metagross was borderline elite thanks to his natural power and Espeon was getting closer and closer at a fast pace. That's the benefit of rookie Pokémon, they grow so much faster but after 'breaking through' they grow a lot slower. Hence why masters are usually ones who have traveled for quite some time. That means he was still far away from beating her, even if his aura made sure that his Pokémon would keep growing at a much faster pace than hers.

So right now, even if he took it easy, those two weeks would perhaps raise them like they've trained for an entire month. That is the difference between the rich and the poor. Equipment and food. Nevertheless, riches only let you go so far.

For the first week, Ash will help out his seven Pokémon with one-on-one lessons. They'll be perfecting moves, thinking of ways to implement moves and improve them by using them in new ways or power them up through training. Naturally, they'll also receive some battle experiences as Ash will make the one he trains for the day go up against one of Brock's or Caitlin's.

A good idea for an entire week. It also gives them time to bond.

The second week will be where they've made a training plan filled with training and break times so they can relax and enjoy their cruise as it's obviously not the time to go around for survival.

Hermit, Pikachu and Meowth have shown interest in swimming. Meowth was a question mark for Ash until the Cat Pokémon told him that he couldn't swim and if he were to fall down, he'd definitely drown.

Valencia would practice with her newly gained feelers in her free time, Trickster would have some fun pranking the staff of the cruise and/or training with Ash, Glacia would simply enjoy the time for rest with some closed eyes and Falcon wished to fly around and enjoy the scent of the ocean.

Yes, Ash had a pretty easy going team of Pokémon.

Good thing it isn't like Brock's where they keep wanting to fight each other and get stronger… He had laughed in Brock's face after Tyranitar told him that his favorite thing to do to pass time is annoying others to battle him. The once silent Pupitar was quite interesting as a Tyranitar now. Even so, Brock took it in spade and told him to battle against the Golett.

It actually helped a lot since the Tyranitar had shown great progress, the Golett more so.

He would also have more time bonding with the two fossil Pokémon that absolutely _loved_ being with Brock and the others if they could enjoy these kinds of food and receive such amazing training as well as family members.

The moment they saw the Tyranitar and Golett, they were sold for getting stronger. The Anorith proved to be quite unique for his species as he loved swimming around and so was slimmer than others. The Anorith was also much faster in the water than on land but that is understandable. The Tirtouga on the other hand was quite lax and enjoyed relaxing when he could under the sun, outside of the water to soak up some heat.

Weird Pokémon. One absolutely loved swimming where he is much faster whereas the other loved to rest on land. It's supposed to be the opposite, isn't it?

Ash feared the time the Golem would evolve though. He was already at the size of a Golurk, imagining a Golurk twice his size… Oh boy. He thought of Falcon as huge, but that Golurk would be in simple words; scary. as. hell.

Caitlin had the more peaceful team. Her usual Pokémon wanted to either hang around or help the staff members with Metagross as the exception as the Hoenn Pseudo-legendary loved to battle against the Tyranitar to improve for his new trainer.

So after their planning it was just a peaceful day where they all sat on the deck, staring at the sky. A peaceful air was around them and the Pokémon, feeling as if they belonged there almost like a picture. Perhaps that was why Darach made a picture and requested a painting to be made as soon as possible.

The painting's name?

' _The Stargazers_ '

* * *

The next morning, Ash woke up around 5 A.M. He took a swift shower as he put on some of his training equipment. A pair of jogging pants, a large gray sweatshirt and some sport shoes of an unknown brand that looked to be quite cheap. Putting on a pair of sweatbands around his wrist and his forehead, he prepared to do some fitness as his Pokémon will train.

Today will be Pikachu's day, as he is the first Pokémon that Ash captured.

After he finished putting on all his equipment he turned to his Pokémon that were still asleep, possibly because they were so at rest in this place.

"Guys! It's time to wake up, stretch 'n train!" Ash called out to his Pokémon that now opened their eyes as they began to feel a lot more energized than before. Perhaps it's the food, perhaps it's the peace. Perhaps it's because they finally had a peaceful day, but they felt like they could train so much harder.

It was actually simple; they needed rest so their bodies could finally catch up with the growth. The food especially did the trick as it helped them get there.

Now awake, the Pokémon mentioned their good mornings and ready to go after they finished stretching for a while. Glacia and Falcon have to train on the decks as they were too large for the inside training area, or rather, couldn't train well there.

"Now Glacia, I want you to start learning Electric-type moves. You've already got knowledge on using one of them, but the next moves I want you to learn are Discharge and Thunder. These two are stronger than Thunderbolt, but require more energy. I'll leave a voice instruction for today to help you out, alright?" Ash smiled as he held out one of the voice recorders.

Damn straight he used those. They were useful and Pokémon could re-listen when they needed to. It's a very self-sufficient training method that Gary introduced him to after they had a small chat during the Fossil Excavation. The Aurorus looked interested and nodded as she was satisfied with the order.

Glacia didn't want to freeze the ship or the water after all.

"Falcon, I want you to learn how to use the benefits of steel wing onto all of your feathers. Perhaps create an Iron Defense to defend yourself against attacks. I know that you are fast, but you're quite large as well. That makes it hard for you to dodge attacks, which means that we need more defensive methods. As you fly around and start practicing some maneuvers, think about how to use it. I, myself, have no idea truthfully. I trust you with this hard task, alright?" Ash smiled to his Talonflame, who in return gave him a determined look.

He wouldn't disappoint Ash, plus this was something he has been thinking of for a while. If he mastered the 'Iron Defense' perhaps he could fire his feathers in a similar manner as Poison Sting? Food for thought. The giant, shiny Talonflame flew up into the sky as he began practicing. Luckily, the ship was going slow so he wouldn't lose them.

Moving inside, the training area was full of machinery. Various machines were meant for training of voltage, impact power, pressure… heck, is that a _gravity_ chamber? Ash had to blink a few times before slooowly turning his head to the dojo area that his Greninja liked quite a bit. There were all kinds of dummies that were definitely reinforced with some special kind of defense. The Greninja in question seemed to eagerly test out one of the harder machines onto to notice that he couldn't budge the machine…

Trying one before that, it only barely moved. The next one moved a little easier and the one after that was done with quite some effort.

"Hmm… I believe that this is good for you, Greninja. While I wanted you to practice mid-range attacks, it's good to strengthen yourself. Please wear some weights that you can find and start practicing your fighting type attacks on those dummies. It'll definitely help," Ash commented and Hermit, who loved close combat agreed.

He took a look at his Sylveon and then the weighed balls. They could be thrown at a cushion in the distance. "Valencia, use those weights there and throw them against the cushion. Only use your ribbons, feelers, I'm still not sure what to call them," Ash began as the Sylveon nodded in agreement.

Turning to his Gengar, Ash gained a devious smile. "Muscle and speed training for you. Run around with weights, start lifting with weights. You know the deal and if I do a check-up, they better be higher than what you can casually handle," Ash started as the Gengar gained a nervous look. No easy going then. Damn.

Turning to his Pikachu and Meowth, Ash nodded. "You two also need more muscle. Pikachu, while you managed to make quite an impact on the Raichu, I believe the rest can still get some proper training. For now, start with heavy weights. Meowth, for you, I want you to practice your speed more. You don't know any close combat moves so far and you are quite skilled at using ranged attacks. Especially after using Nasty Plot. That's why speed is important, so you can run and dodge. While you're at it, make sure that you remain as flexible as possible. Understood?" Ash asked as the two small Pokémon nodded with the assessment and went on with their duties.

Ash smiled as he walked towards the training Pikachu, starting to do similar actions next to him and holding a conversation. It's time for some bonding during training. It's not like they haven't done so before…

* * *

Darach seemed to enjoy putting on music as they trained and Ash developed a liking to it as well. He'll definitely buy a transportable radio if he could afford it.

In three days Ash managed to train his team at a fast pace. The food and rest definitely helped alongside it and Ash felt much calmer than before.

Maybe that's also because Trickster _forces_ him to meditate at least three hours a day.

Pikachu easily gained muscle with the food, progressing at a rate that even made Ash dumbfounded. If his Pikachu didn't reach elite level when they reach Cinnabar Island, then Ash will scream bull to the world.

Falcon, the Talonflame… Well, let it be known that his feathers are pretty much endless. Ash has no idea how, but he assumed that the Pokémon could easily re-grow them with energy or something. It must be a Pokémon thing he didn't know of yet as he hadn't heard of flying types capable of regrowing feathers like that. After the Pokémon learnt to use the ability of Steel Wing on his entire body, the Pokémon mixed a move called Feather Dance with it and created a new type of attack which focused on firing steel feathers at his opponent.

Ash felt sorry for Falcon's prey.

Meowth had gained quite some speed, starting to match Pikachu in it. He made the Cat Pokémon completely focus on that for now. Once he matches Pikachu's base speed, he'll start teaching the Meowth more uses for Hidden Power and other attacks.

Hermit… Hermit is a case which Ash still doubts is normal. The Ninja Pokémon took to close combat as if it's a second nature, moving so smoothly through dummies that were now also attacking back. At first, he was at the third practice dummy and he's now at the second. Let it be known that his growth can be considered pretty scary amongst normal Pokémon.

His Aurorus, Glacia, was becoming quite adept at using Electric attacks. She learnt not only Discharge and Thunder, but also focused more on Thunder Wave which Ash quickly complimented. Right now, he had her focus on Icy Wind and trying to control the coldness and pressure of it so it's more focused. It'll be useful for piercing through attacks such as flamethrower as the ice will no doubt be capable of withstanding normal flamethrowers.

Trickster… Well, Trickster was acting like a bodybuilder whenever he finished training. The Gengar trained his body with vigor, surprising all that the prankster of the group could be so _extremely_ determined. It must be because the Gengar wants to become stronger than when he was Zoroark for whatever reason.

Valencia, the Sylveon… The Sylveon could definitely use her feelers now. Not just that, but she was also training her dodging ability in the 'dodge zone' as Ash called it. There will be small tennis balls fired at Pokémon from all around it and they have to dodge it as it allows some space to do so, but the speed gradually increases. The Sylveon definitely began gaining some grace.

But right now, Ash was turning his one-on-one time with his Ninja Pokémon into a sparring session as they were both out on the deck and both were sweating.

Ash could've sworn that the Greninja loved fighting more than any other of its species. The Ninja Pokémon just loved the thrill of combat, dodging moves, combining various techniques and the thrill of having close wins.

A good, yet also bad nature. Ash will definitely mention it after their spar.

By some unknown signal, both ran at each other. Ash reinforced his legs with aura in order to burst forward in speed and immediately had to lower his body to avoid a palm attack aimed at his chest. Being so close to the floor, the trainer moved his lower body so that he could perform a front flip but instead of using it to dodge, he aimed his bare foot towards the Greninja's head.

Moving his head, Hermit grabbed the extended leg and threw his trainer away. His trainer, as usual, recovered swiftly and slid on the dirt. For some strange reason, his skin never scratched open as if it were as tough as hide. A possible side effect for having his body growing with the usage of aura, making it much tougher than a normal human's.

Rushing towards the Greninja, Ash aimed a single fist towards the head and hid the other one that aimed at the stomach. By instinct, the Greninja used both of his palms to block the hit aimed for his face but the one aimed at his stomach hit with full power, making the Greninja fly backwards with the power Ash put into it. It was a borderline fighting-type attack in the Greninja's honest opinion.

However, the Ninja Pokémon isn't done in so easily. He won't collapse from a single hit from a human after all. Rushing backwards, the Greninja slid its body over the ground and lowered itself before using its tongue in a similar manner to 'Slam' aimed for the trainer's body as he attempted to dodge by jumping over the move. The attack hit head on as he was launched backwards, making a backflip to recover from it.

… Sadly he forgot something. They were at the decks of the cruise and Ash nearly fell off as his feet touched the bars of the fencing. "That was close…" Ash mentioned as he looked behind him before blinking.

"Hermit! Time!" Ash shouted as he quickly pointed behind him. The Greninja was curious what made his trainer react like that before rushing towards the area to see for himself. He spotted two wounded Pelipper, one being green and the other being blue.

Ash was a very sympathetic human. He wouldn't let them stay like that.

"C'mon Hermit! Let's get them out of there before some Sharpedo or god forbid, Gyarados thinks it's an easy meal!" Ash shouted as he jumped off the fence towards the waters and the Greninja gladly followed.

 _This is why he loves his trainer so much. Always thinking of protecting the weaker Pokémon. A trait that the Greninja respects._

Their hearts resonated in the desire to protect as they swam towards the Pelipper. A natural bond gradually formed as they swam next to each other, not caring for the current of the sea as they reached the two knocked out, wounded Pelipper and Ash quickly picked up the shiny one as he put the Pelipper on his shoulder.

Noticing a shark-like shadow underneath him, Ash recognized it as a Sharpedo. It must've been attracted by the limp bodies of the knocked out Pelipper and Ash was fast enough to order his Greninja to attack.

"Hermit! Use the water of the sea similar to how you use water pulse and fire a twister of water towards the Sharpedo. After that, grab both the Pelipper and I and use Aqua Jet to get back on the ship!" Ash ordered swiftly.

The Greninja nodded before aiming two palms downwards towards the shadow of the Sharpedo, which the Greninja recognized easily, and charged two Water Pulses underwater. Instead of forming an orb, the Ninja Pokémon listened to the order and began to twist the water with full force, forming two large twisters instead or spheres that slammed against each other and hit the Sharpedo head on. As it's a water-type move, it didn't hurt but it forced the Pokémon back down and with swiftness needed in the situation, the Greninja grabbed the normal Pelipper under its arm before holding its trainer by his waist and used Aqua Jet. Water swiftly formed around them like a barrier as they began to fly upwards towards the ship at a fast speed before landing next to a surprised Aurorus who was practicing Icy Wind.

"Phew. Good move, Hermit. It's great that you're good at improvising. It was definitely needed in those situations, wild Sharpedo can be vicious…" Mumbled Ash as he shook his head out of the thoughts. Good thing he saved the Pelipper at that chosen moment.

"Can you call the rest, Hermit? I'll treat these guys," Ash explained as the Greninja nodded and rushed off at a high speed, ignoring that he was still dripping wet. While Ash was the same, he didn't mind much. His hair was completely sticking to his body as his clothes did the same. Although the cold with the continuous use of icy wind in the air hit him he didn't mind as he began using his aura and blasted them throughout the bodies of the Pelippers, before it became a light purple and it started to transform into bastardized heal pulses to heal the wounds.

"Wake up you guys, can't have you falling now," Ash mumbled as he kept healing them even when it finally started to hit on his aura reserves. They were pretty much in a horrible state, to the point they had broken wings. He wondered what could've done that, but it might've been that they were swimming before and a boat crashed straight into them.

Not thinking of those thoughts, Ash finally recognized that they were fully healed and he sat down while taking a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, salty air of the sea as he moved his hands and began to pet the two different Pelipper.

"Mm. I wonder if mom would like two messengers for deliveries? They'll definitely help," he mumbled with interest. "Well, they'll have to want it themselves. I'm not forcing 'em," chuckled Ash.

Minutes later the rest of the group came up to him and the two Pelipper, Brock mostly checking for wounds and Caitlin giving Ash a towel to dry what hadn't dried yet under the sun. He even had to take off his shirt and squeeze it dry for a moment, ignoring the small flush on the female faces… meaning Caitlin and the maids.

Ash just had that athletic bodies most would enjoy staring at for a while. No six pack needed at all.

After he put on the much drier shirt, Ash stared at the Pelipper and smiled as they woke up.

* * *

" _Ugh… What hit me?_ " questioned the shiny Pelipper as his eyes opened, starting to stand up on his two feet. The Flying/Water type looked curiously around him for a bit as he noticed that he was surrounded by humans and Pokémon of various species. Heck, he even saw his mate next to him.

The normal one also woke up, definitely female, "Mmm… I feel like I just got a Gyarados use hyper beam on me," groaned the normal Pelipper. Ash just chuckled at that.

"Well, having a Gyarados use hyper beam on you sounds pretty convincing seeing the wounds you two had. How come you two were knocked out on the sea? Just to let you know, a hungry Sharpedo nearly had you two," explained Ash as he crouched down to their level. The two Pelipper in question looked up curiously.

" _You saved us, human?_ " asked the shiny Pelipper with a questioning look.

" _I see that you aren't lying. Your eyes show as much,_ " the female, normal Pelipper mumbled as she looked up in Ash's maroon eyes.

"Mhm. I saved you with Hermit here," he put his hand on the Greninja's shoulder that now rubbed the back of his head, taking the praise with an embarrassed blush on his face.

Both Pelipper turned to the Greninja and gave him their version of a nod, showing respect to the Kalos starter. "" _Thank you for helping us,_ "" both Pelipper said at the same time before turning to Ash and gaining a curious look.

" _Say… You seem quite experienced for a human of your age. I see that you haven't captured us either, or else we would've been resting inside of a Pokéball by now. Why is that?_ " asked the shiny Pelipper.

Ash could relate to that one in particular. Being shiny meant that he would be hunted continuously for his special colorization. Many humans have sought after shinies with random stories popping up.

 _Shinies are stronger. Shinies are tougher. Shinies are rarer_.

They all spoke of them as a collectable item. It pissed Ash off, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Giving the shiny Pelipper a smile, Ash answered with honesty. "I would've loved to capture you both and ask you to help out my mother with deliveries for her restaurant, actually. But I prefer asking you two that as I feel like it's slavery otherwise," explained the boy.

Both Pelipper had to stare at the boy for a while before the female one nodded, " _I believe I would like to help with that,_ " she spoke.

The shiny one turned to her in surprise, " _What?! Why would we help him?!_ "

" _He helped us, you dummy. It's only polite to return the favor, besides… If we can work for his mother, it means we can finally have our nest and a food source. Having small tasks such as deliveries isn't that bad,_ " the female one explained with what Ash could feel was a tired voice.

Grumbling a bit, the shiny Pelipper turned a suspicious eye to Ash. " _What would you do after capturing us?_ "

Ash shrugged. "I would capture you, first train you with the rest of my team until I arrive in Cinnabar and then I'd ask my mother for a transfer so you two can live at her place. I believe she's been looking at Pidgey and the likes for deliveries, but I believe your species are much better at it," smiled Ash.

Both Pelipper blinked a few times before they noticed that gigantic, shiny Talonflame behind the boy.

" _Ah. That's why you're not mentioning me being different,_ " the shiny Pelipper spoke with wide eyes.

The Talonflame in question looked amused if his black eyes told Ash anything. "Be nice Falcon," Ash scolded slightly.

The Talonflame nodded with his head, giving them a small smile - as much as his beak could. " _It's nice to meet fellow flying species. Not unlike the Pidgeot and Fearow I've been saying, which I must say, has been turning into a pain. They are quite territorial in forests,_ " the larger Talonflame mumbled.

Ash laughed a bit. "You forgot Crobat!"

A loud cry came from above Ash as a huge Crobat landed on his head. " _Hey! We wouldn't mention that again!_ " the Crobat complained.

Brock chuckled as Caitlin shook her head. Ash was in his own world. Luckily, Meowth took the time to translate everything for them as the boy spoke with the Pelipper.

He was doing his thing again. The charisma to make Pokémon want to follow his decision. Unknowingly, he was gaining their like.

The shiny Pelipper had a calculating look in his eyes now. That Talonflame was huge, much larger than he had ever seen and this boy scolded him like a newborn chick. That spoke of the leagues of respect that the Pokémon had for his trainer.

" _If I were to do deliveries and train in my free time, is there a chance I could also have the odd battle?_ " asked the shiny Pelipper. It was in a male's blood to show dominance after all, so the Pelipper at least wanted to be the strongest male flying type in their new location after their future trainer lets them stay at his mother's place.

Ash thought about it before shrugging. "Professor Oak wouldn't mind you battling some Pokémon in his ranch. The Professor sponsors a lot of trainers, and in the future my own Pokémon will go there every now and then as well. The Pokémon there love battling every now and then, but I doubt you'll become the strongest," Ash chuckled as the Pelipper gained a challenging glint in his eyes.

" _Why is that?_ "

"Professor Oak has a Dragonite to keep the Ranch from going wild, alongside one of the strongest Arcanine alive. I will tell you though, that you'll be… pretty much the second male at my mom's place, other than Mr. Mime. So I do expect you to protect everyone," Ash practically demanded.

Taking that as his future task next to doing the odd jobs for his mother, the Pelipper moved one of his wings in a salute-like manner. " _Got it! I'll gladly join you and your mother for her job. I always wanted to get stronger and the wildlife we have, where I need to protect my mate, is pretty rough. Seeing that new situation where I can be with her and fight all I want, I'll gladly become someone's Pokémon for it._ "

Ash laughed a little at the Pokémon's determination. It wanted to be stronger, a shame he didn't want to join his team but hey… He'd never separate two mates.

That's just horrible.

Chuckling a little, the Greninja looked at an eager Meowth. The Meowth loved seeing others start off training under Ash…

"Well den!" Meowth began as he rubbed his two paws together… "Can I start 'em off, boss?" Meowth started with a cheshire like grin.

Ash chuckled in amusement. "You know the drill. Stamina training first, add minor weights. After stamina training and some rest, battle and afterwards continue training. Don't forget meditation because I know you love skipping it, Meowth!"

"Yikes! Been spotted," muttered the Meowth before letting out a sigh. Ah well, he ain't feelin' bad 'bout that.

"Well den, Pelipper and shiny Pelipper, time to get to da training. Now dat Ash healed ya guys, ya have to eat somethin'. Could ya ask Darach for sum food, Caitlin? Actually, it's pretty close to lunchtime," Meowth spoke as his own stomach _roared_ louder than even Tyranitar's could, making the pseudo-legendary look impressed… in a weird way.

It's still unknown who can eat more anyway. Meowth has a surprising appetite after a good training session.

Everyone shook their heads as they first went for their meal, afterwards continued the week of training.

It was at the end of the week that Ash began to recall everything he had done with his team. It was surprisingly pleasant, finally no fights for an entire week other than that odd experience with the Pelipper duo and the Sharpedo.

The first day was mostly spent with Pikachu. The two were training freaks and loved doing it together, so that was pretty simple. It started with all kinds of exercises and ended with Ash attempting to use aura and use it to combat, while Pikachu was trying to control the water of the sea behind the ship. No real progress, but that was to be expected if you only do it in a single day. Ash did find out some small kinks in his usage of aura and it toned down the amount of aura he used for all kinds of things.

The second day was spent with his Talonflame. The Pokémon absolutely loved it as he flew around in the sky and was talking to some various other flying type Pokémon there. Ash could've sworn he saw a Dragonite in the distance too. The odd Fearow that had a camera around his neck was there as well, possibly scouting for the league or something so they greeted the surprised Fearow. It did end weird with the Fearow telling him that he had to return to his 'master' and not 'trainer'. Oh well. At the end of the day when they finished flying around, doing aerial tricks such as barrel rolls and the likes, they went to sleep with Ash sleeping under one of the Talonflame's large wings. The smaller Pokémon joined them as well, with Glacia being a little more distant as her body was colder than most, even if she held it back.

The third day was spent with Meowth. The Cat Pokémon received some love by giving him a personal brushing session and a small massage to relax his muscles. The Meowth and Ash then went for some running together, with bets going on for amusement. In the end, Ash lost the challenge as he was out of breath and collapsed before the 30 minutes of continuous running _at full speed_ were done, with Meowth soon following him.

 _Serves the cat right for showing off by wearing weights._

The fourth day was obviously with his Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon and he saved the Pelipper and afterwards trained with each other again by sparring and mentioning small weaknesses that they spotted in either the guard or the attack. At the end, they held a small throwing challenge with the Greninja using his Water Shuriken and Ash using small orbs of aura that he could barely manage to maintain. Even so, Ash did get pretty close as he loved practicing the throwing of a Pokéball, which surprisingly required a lot of technique if you needed to call a Pokémon out of his Pokéball in dire situations.

The fifth day was spent with his Aurorus. Glacia and he liked silence every now and then so the both of them were practicing new techniques. As the Aurorus finished _learning_ the electric type moves, not even close to mastering them as Ash didn't want to do that during the ship, he focused on making her master Charge Beam, one of the earliest attacks he taught her as an Amaura. The Aurorus agreed seeing how her body was now capable of absorbing the excess energy of the Charge Beam, making her power up.

As she did that, Ash would sit on her back and rest his own back against her neck, between the sails. The wind of the sea did wonders to the peaceful feeling there as Ash meditated the entire time, simply enjoying the Aurorus' presence. An odd day to spend together, but it helped quite a bit of Ash and the Aurorus to have some personal time. Good thing aura makes his body warm up or else he'd be a popsicle with the Aurorus focusing on Charge Beam and not the coldness of her body. It oddly helped the aura adept to meditate.

The sixth day was spent with Trickster. Unlike the pranker he was, both of them began working on aura control right away. Ash was to first create a large orb, the same size as a basketball which the Gengar revealed by using a Shadow Ball in the same manner. The trick was to create a 'shell' and add energy into it in order for it to expand. The shell had to be stronger than the energy within so they had to work on that.

Gengar was quite a taskmaster as they went on with it for 5 hours, non stop. This wasn't even the aura sight training which sir Aaron was famous for. Ash wasn't looking forward to that particular lesson…

They finished the day by pranking Darach in ghostly forms. Ash didn't seem to mind as he was turned into a ghost by making the Gengar do it for him. The butler was scared out of his mind and didn't know what to do, but once he called out his own Gallade the two quickly left as they didn't want the Gallade to sense them.

The seventh day was spent with his recent Sylveon. Valencia loved being spoiled, but Ash had to show a hard hand at times by making the Sylveon train. He wasn't like her former trainer, Mikey, who treated her similar to that of a pet. He would make her stronger, a battler and a possible contest Pokémon if the Sylveon was interested. They spent the day trying to master her first proper Fairy type move, Fairy Wind. It's a gradual progress, but the Sylveon was slowly grasping how to control her own type that she recently gained. Not just that, but Ash made sure to have her master Double Team and Shadow Ball, which surprisingly finished pretty fast. It must've been the power boost from the evolution and/or the aura bond between the two that formed the night they slept together.

Then came the two Pelipper. They liked training quite a bit and the female one, in human words, _definitely wore the pants_.

Let it be known that every time the shiny Pelipper got cocky, he received a wing slap right in the face for even thinking about it. It still amused Ash to see two Pokémon that are mates, it's a new experience for him as well.

They were, dare say, human-like. It's an interesting thing to observe, something he noted in his notepad that even with all that has been happening, survived. He liked observing them as they trained and flew around in small races or had the Talonflame instruct them in using moves such as Steel Wing.

Then came the last week and after that week passed, Ash could officially say he'll treat women with so much respect that they might as well be a queen. That week will be the most terrifying week in his entire life… not just because of pain, but also because of embarrassment.

* * *

Ash yawned as he finished the entire week of training. He could do some rest himself, but it seems his Pokémon just keep training no matter what.

Maybe he created seven machines? Even Sylveon began to love training more than usual since he helped her train and get stronger. She seemed so much happier when he gave her that look of pride…

 _He never knew how that actually influenced his Pokémon._

As he got up from the bed, had a quick shower and came towards the usual meal area which for breakfast is down the ship where they had a view on the aquatic life in the sea, he noticed that Caitlin was giving him a cheshire-like grin.

"Ash. I believe it's time to reform you into a gentleman," spoke Caitlin with the grin still on her face.

Ash blinked a few times, "Why? I don't see how that matters, I have manners and the like," asked the confused trainer.

The owner of the ship shook her head, "No. I meant as in acting around women entirely. I've noticed that you treat everyone the same, but you should learn how to treat a woman delicately… How else other than giving you a good week to improve on it with me?"

Ash tilted his head slightly, looking like a confused Growlithe.

Caitlin couldn't help but let a small giggle escape her lips, "I'm going to teach you how to dance. That's the best way for you to learn how to treat a woman delicately, as during a dance the man must take the lead but not force the other. It also gives you a small break from training."

"Ah… I guess? I've never danced before. I hid myself when Professor Oak attempted to make me dance in the ball because I suck at it," frowned Ash.

The cheshire-like grin returned on her face and if Ash's Gengar was there, he'd be proud of the girl. "That's why I'll teach you from scratch… Get your suit and I'll dress myself up properly for a dance after breakfast. We'll practice in the dancing hall," explained/ordered the girl.

Ash couldn't help but feel that he cursed his own future.

So after they finished breakfast, which was as delicious as ever and Ash had to force himself to eat slowly and chew properly, they went to their respective rooms to get their proper outfits.

Brock, who silently listened to the two had a grin on his face with Darach right next to him, both holding a camera in their hands. One to record and one to make pictures.

"Ready for the embarrassing pictures of the dance?" Brock asked the older butler.

Darach began to chuckle, "I can't believe milady will teach someone how to dance. She used to hate it. Perhaps some feelings might start budding there," the butler couldn't help but be interested. If that boy managed to get to his mistress' heart, he wondered how the future will go.

But he knew that both Caitlin and Ash wouldn't act on it now, or the following year. The two were still young and completely unprepared for the life of a couple. They could share an innocent kiss, but that would most likely be it in Darach's sharp mind.

He was quite right about it. But one thought did enter his mind.

' _It seems Milady likes them younger, talented and passionate about Pokémon._ '

* * *

After Ash got forced into the suit he arrived in at the dinner in the beginning, he had to struggle with the red tie. It really bothered him. The fact he had to close the suit as well instead of letting it remain open like before also bothered him, but when he saw Caitlin, he finally had his mind turned to mush for the first time in his life… Well, second if you count that innocent kiss at Cerulean City but that was much less intense.

Caitlin was wearing a lavender dress. It wasn't tight or anything, it was actually accentuating her figure and matched her blue eyes with some of the sky blue colours on her dress.. The dress reached towards her knees, making sure that she still had some of her creamy legs shown and a pair of white high heels were worn. Her dress itself had some light, flowery design on it on the bottom that revealed various kinds of flowers, mostly based on roses and the likes. The colors, as previously mentioned, were mostly focused on the red and blue with both remaining light so they didn't attract too much attention from her body. Her chest, even if growing, reached at least B-cup much to Ash's surprise as he _finally_ noticed such a thing.

Damn, his growing hormones of a teenager took ages to wake up… Ah, here comes the blush on his cheeks as he _tried_ not to stare. Keyword: tried.

Unlike before, Caitlin wore no ribbons and had her hair down, letting its wavy style remain like that and reach her lower back. Her blue eyes were mischievous the instant she spotted Ash's blush. _Confidence boost, get._

"Like it?" She giggled lightly as she spun around, revealing her figure completely to the astonished Ash.

Darach and Brock were shedding manly tears. One for his best friend that was growing up as a male and the other for seeing his employer, his mistress, one he took care of ever since she was a child, grow up and attract attention of the opposite gender. It was beautiful.

Seeing Ash still stare dumbly, even with his hair slicked back before was pretty stupid. He shouldn't keep staring so she gave him a light warning by tapping his cheek.

"First lesson, Ash, keep focused on the evening and not just the lady. It's impolite to stare, even if you definitely show attempts to stop doing it… then again, I must be beautiful enough for you to stare," smiled Caitlin.

Ash shook his head quickly in attempts to shrug off the accursed hormones in his body and then gave her a smile back. "Well, I'll be honest and say that you really are beautiful. I've never really looked at girls this way so it's quite… well, new," explained Ash with an embarrassed smile.

Giggling again, Caitlin took Ash's hands and placed one on her hips and the other she kept around hers, holding it carefully. "Now let's begin the lesson before you keep staring, mister. If you step on my foot, I'll give you a kick in return. Consider it a warning," she teased the now self conscious male. He didn't want to mess up now…

"So, Ash, start by following my lead. I'll teach you how to dance when a female leads and then how a male leads, got it?" She asked with a smile.

Ash nodded with some cold sweat on his back. He might lose a leg or two now.

* * *

Like he thought, he definitely lost feeling in his right leg after failing spectacularly at dancing by stepping on Caitlin's foot three times… albeit he got it afterwards. Then came the male lead and he could say that he never wants to dance again in the upcoming years until it's absolutely necessary.

Both Brock and Darach took as many pictures and taped it all to the last second, even the embarrassing moment Ash had to press his chest against Caitlin's…

Caitlin, in her own room, still had to giggle at the innocent blush on his face when he had to do that.

That was only the first day… The upcoming ones will be hell for him. Ash felt like he'd rather jump into a fight against Giratina with nothing but his two fists than continue his dance lessons and how to act properly to girls.

Brock's laughing and Darach's subtle teasing definitely didn't help. _Maybe he can jump off the ship and swim all the way to Cinnabar Island?_

* * *

 **So, I finished today's chapter. It's not completely cuddly-wuggly for everything but progress is being made. Another bond has been formed and Ash finally has a break.**

 **Something we all need at times. Still, he is starting to learn how to act like a gentleman now. I wonder, how will he act to Caitlin during the rest of the journey and the Orange Archipelago? His hormones are starting to wake up and Caitlin's teasing definitely doesn't help.**

 **Next chapter! The finish of the last week (as I feel like that week should be a little more detailed than I'd write in this chapter) and arriving at Cinnabar Island!**

 **This'll be this weekend's only chapter. Sorry guys, no time for more!**

 **Those with a keen eye have noticed that I added something for in the future. What will happen then? Who knows! I don't. I wrote it and I don't know. ... Kidding, I do.**

 **Hope you guys like the chapter! Feel free to make a review and mention anything that… well, looks horrible.**


	16. Road of the Heart

**What's up everyone! Please don't throw rocks at me yet!**

 **I've had some trouble with making time for writing this chapter thanks to some real life problems, being sick and absolutely exhausted. I won't write what the problem is because that's just drama for you guys, but it's just to let you know why.**

 **This chapter will reveal a new way of using Cinnabar Island compared to other stories that have been written, simply because I hate the lack of use for Cinnabar Island other than 'oh hey, it's the gym atop of the volcano. Let's do this - LEEEEROOOOY!'. There's also the fact the mansion is rarely, if EVER used in a story. Why not do so now?**

 **A little bit of emotional talk for Ash. He needs to get some facts straight, get his emotions right as he ages. He's entering puberty. Hormones will come. You all know the terror… and the cracking voice. I'll have fun writing that later for you guys 'n girls. A tad bit of AshxCaitlin as well!**

 **So, my apologies for the late update and I hope you enjoy the (pretty big, if not biggest) chapter so far! Please note that at the end there is an OC entry question and some team information that a reviewer requested. I did it for all three trainers but I'll focus more on Ash's team later on.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Edit 03-27-2016: Thanks for some reviews about the obvious mistake (I should've seen that) and thanks for the help with my admittedly bad English. OC entries can keep going and I can only say that some of you shouldn't go too wild on teams. Enter the fun, odd Pokémon instead of pure power teams. Add a unique twist to a Pokémon. Some have given their Pokémon a new look, a new outfit, a special design to their Pokémon. Be sure to do so as well! Entries can be done up to the actual tournament which will occur in the Orange Island arc. You have enough time to think and apply!**

* * *

It was after the dance Ash finally decided to ask a personal question, "Caitlin, if you're from a rich family like this, why did you travel alone? I would've expected at least a tagalong."

Good thing they had some privacy right now. Even their Pokémon went to their respective training menus.

Caitlin blinked a few times as she sat down in a nearby chair, taking a few sips of water as she thought of how to answer that question. Ash has only been kind and honest so far, so why couldn't she tell him? Besides, he also had a problem similar to her.

Giving herself an internal nod of agreement with that line of thought, she let out a small sigh. Hopefully he won't be surprised. Then again, this is Ash who has been called Chosen One so many times and has aura… that he shared with her a bit.

"Well… It started when I was younger," Caitlin began her story. The story of her childhood, a child of two professional trainers. A child that was born with something nobody else in her family and sadly, had no control over it, making her the 'black sheep'.

FLASHBACK

 _"Heehee~ Can't catch me, Kirlia!" A young, cheerful voice shouted out in happiness as she was running away from a Kirlia, both playing tag._

 _The young girl had shoulder length blonde hair, straight blonde hair unlike her future hairstyle. She had a pair of cheerful blue eyes full of innocent excitement at playing with a Pokémon and as a little girl she just wore a casual white shirt with long sleeves, a blue skirt and white socks. They were currently inside of a building, a mansion to be precise._

 _A Pokémon soon ran after her, easily recognizable as a Kirlia. In the future, this Kirlia will be considered one of Caitlin's main Pokémon as a Gardevoir capable of Mega Evolution. Big red eyes followed her trainer's movement as she ran after her, trying to tag her with all her might._

 _Psychic types were horrible at physical activities, and Kirlia having recently evolved and no training was the same. The Kirlia was having fun though as she ran after the younger version of Caitlin._

 _In the distance a male with a butler suit stood there, his hair all slicked back and a pair of glasses on his face. His gray eyes scanned the surroundings whilst watching his young mistress playing with one of her first Pokémon other than Gothita. This young man was Darach, recently appointed to his task. Next to him stood a Gallade that was watching the playing duo with vigilance._

 _Caitlin was running as fast as she could from Kirlia, turning around a corner until she bumped into a large man holding a large sack. A sack that could, if necessary, carry a child._

 _Now, one might question how such a man can get in the building? The fact is, he has long been recognized in the camera's but since Darach was close, they took no action so far. A shame because they wanted to make that man pay for the expensive window he had broken to get in..._

 _Right now though, they - Caitlin and the man - were out of sight and as the man in front of her remained so, he grasped her face and kept his hand in front of her mouth to prevent her from speaking or screaming. Darach and Gallade were both simply walking there, expecting nobody to get inside of the house and get an alarm sound if it comes to that point._

 _"To have been spotted so early," the man chuckled lowly, preventing himself from being heard by the other Pokémon. A Kirlia soon ran around the corner and spotted her trainer being held by the man._

 _Growling a little, the Kirlia did what any Pokémon would at finding their precious ones in danger. **Attack. Harm. Kill if must.** Kirlia's eyes began to glow blue as she instantly used confusion on the man but for some reason the man was unaffected as he chuckled darkly._

 _"Psychic moves won't affect me so easily, little Kirlia… Now, little miss, time to get going. I can ask a lot of money by kidnapping you and there's no time to waste." With his line said, the man began forcing the young mistress into the bag much to her surprise and fear._

 _Being in this situation, the girl couldn't cry out. The hand still held her mouth as she couldn't speak. Biting is out of the question as his hand was way too large to get her small jaws around it… fearing the worst, Caitlin let go of herself in fear._

 _And a block in her mind disappeared._

 _The world turned blue. All accessories, all items that could be moved floated in the air. Even Kirlia was raised as Caitlin let out a wordless cry with her figure glowing a fierce blue. Psychic energy surrounded her as she began launching everything she could, perhaps unconsciously preventing herself from throwing Kirlia as the psychic/fairy could only stare at her trainer as the would-be kidnapper was launched around by items being thrown with all the might of a budding psychic._

 _A psychic that has no control._

 _As more and more energy went berserk, the ceiling, walls and the floor began to crack and drawn in. The kidnapper had long been knocked out by all the items being thrown and Darach could see his mistress floating in the air, surrounded by various items that were acting as a shield - or perhaps staying there as the psychic went berserk?_

 _"Gallade! Stop that energy!" Darach ordered and the madness began as the damage was done._

 _Caitlin was never the same, and neither was her family._

* * *

"After that my family often distanced themselves from me. Whenever I lost control of my emotions, I could send someone flying or turn them into dolls. I know I did that once, good thing that Gardevoir and Gothitelle could turn him back. Either way… I never had any control of my psychic abilities and even now I barely do. I can only put a lid on my emotional state and try to prevent my psychic energy from going berserk," Caitlin explained.

Ash shuddered a little. He was suddenly very happy that Gary was capable of controlling it well enough and extremely careful with it as well.

"I see… So all your family members must've been avoiding you, even now?" Ash asked to be sure.

Caitlin gave him a sad smile in return, followed by a simple nod.

Ash let out a small sigh. It seems that this is quite a bit of trouble for the girl. Hopefully she'll join him in trying to control her abilities then.. Thinking about it, Ash had to blink a few times.

"Wait.. You're a psychic but you can still control that little aura I gave you guys? Really? What's the difference between aura and psychic?" Ash was sure that there should be something similar with it.

"Hmm…" Caitlin thought about it as she closed her eyes in thought. She was pretty sure she could use aura instinctively, whereas psychic energy had to be forced out of her. Nodding with that assessment, she told Ash about it.

Frowning in worry, Ash thought about ways to control it. There must be something… Ah, perhaps Trickster could help?

Focusing on the bond with his Gengar, Ash called for him and within a minute Trickster floated towards them from the ceiling. The Gengar looked curious at the two.

" _You called for my help, Ash? What is the matter?_ " Trickster was pretty sure it must've been the girl because Ash was doing alright so far.

"Hmm… Well, Caitlin is a natural psychic," Ash began as the Gengar's green eyes moved to Caitlin before nodding. "She has absolutely no control over it. Do you have any experience with psychic users?"

The Gengar thought about it as he placed a hand in front of his mouth, no longer grinning as he was thinking. Going through his memories, he could say he knew of a lot of exercises the psychics did.

" _Well… I know of a lot of exercises they did as Aaron used them to create a way to control aura. If you wish, I could explain it for you, or even write it down. Before you ask Ash, yes, I can write._ " The Gengar's telepathic voice made Caitlin nearly scream in joy and Ash pout.

Her family wouldn't hate her if she could control the psychic energy. She could use it for good as well, seeing as Ash is gradually doing the same with aura. Psychics were more common than aura users which meant that she could use it more openly, which will be a great help.

That, and perhaps it'll help training her psychic Pokémon as well. If there are training exercises like that…

" _There's all kinds of methods.. First is using meditation to remove yourself from your surroundings and then focus on the energy of your mind, letting it wrap around yourself and hover above the ground. It's a basic levitation training method but it teaches one to focus on the mind instead of the body, which can be considered aura._ "

Caitlin nodded as Trickster began to repeat all kinds of exercises. Ash smiled, glad that he could help. Gengar was a great help.

It surprised Ash that she didn't try anything with Gardevoir though. Perhaps a psychic Pokémon uses it on instinct compared to others? It would explain why certain Pokémon can only learn the odd psychic type move if it's done through sheer instinct.

So for the rest of that night, it became a lesson for Caitlin. It was a good thing too, as in the future she might just be one of the world's strongest psychics. _Ever_.

* * *

After the night spent with Caitlin, where Ash got hit on the back of his head for not joining in with aura training - and forced to do so after the hit - they went to bed and rested for the next day. The next day… well, let's say it was something unique.

First came the dance lessons. They had the same dresses, same style and all the likes. Ash was often complimenting her during the dance - not too much, not too little. It was just the perfect amount and something - even if practice - Caitlin liked very much.

Afterwards came etiquette. Something both Caitlin and Darach made Ash follow. Darach because it was amusing for the butler. Ash was forced to learn various ways of eating food and had to grumble at the sheer _lack_ of amount of food. Honestly, this is what the rich eat? How the heck do they even get so fat most of the time?

Then came the clothing… Ash believed he had proper taste in clothing. But that was for casual clothing. When it came to clothes for formal meetings, well… Let it be known that Ash absolutely has _no_ idea. Well, except a yukata he really took a liking to.

He liked the red autumn leaves on the black yukata. Sadly, he could only wear it a few times a year according to Caitlin - and that also depends on what they celebrate and where they celebrate.

After that came the man-to-man talk with Brock… and 'the talk'. As much as Ash wanted to deny it, he didn't really focus on it when his mother started the talk a year ago because he was way too embarassed when she did.

Really, did she _have_ to use _videos_ and _pictures_ for that?!

Thus came the second embarrassment and Ash couldn't look at Caitlin in a dress after that. When Brock laughed his guts out and explained it to Caitlin, even the girl had a look of sympathy alongside a healthy blush that she was considered beautiful enough that Ash might look at her that way.

When Pikachu snickered at him after Ash retold what happened, the mouse gained extra training. _Serves that mouse right._

The rest of the week was spent in a similar manner with Ash always getting a headache at what was going on. Really, the only times he felt like he had rest was when he could rest on his bed. They kept pestering him about manners so he learnt them as fast as he could before dropping like a rock.

Ash also skipped the odd night of sleep for a night of meditation. He took a real liking to meditating, finding it more peaceful than actually resting. Perhaps because it rests his mind? The feel of having aura, the energy of life, fill you up and move inside of your body also helped energize his body. Just like he did previously.

His emotions were also becoming less rampant. His teenage hormones that definitely woke up by now had a leash already, making it easy for the male to control himself. That, and there was the talk with his Gengar. It really left a bad taste in his mouth but it had to be done, even he agreed to it later on as it helped him think about some things. While he might not be able to control himself easily, he won't turn into a raging Gyarados as he pretty much got the reason thrown in his face.

Doesn't mean he won't attempt to punch the guy who'd attempt to discard a Pokémon in the future, though.

FLASHBACK

" _Ash... Can I ask why you become so mad at times? When someone threatens to hurt people you like or love and when a Pokémon gets hurt, you instantly jump on them._ " _Asked the Gengar, looking at his trainer that was currently resting inside of a bath. Ash didn't care if his Pokémon joined him when he does so._

 _"Hmm.." Ash thought about it before letting out a sigh. "Pokémon are like humans, they have emotions and lives. Many trainers forget that and make them machines for battle. I've seen that far too much - they stay in their Pokéballs other than when they get fed and when it's time for battles. Heck, some trainers force them to battle before eating. I suppose that's the reason I act so rough when I see a Pokémon get hurt by a human. They completely forget about that," admitted Ash. He saw so many cases of that at Oak's lab that both he and Gary were infamous for their actions against trainers who treat their Pokémon like that._

 _Let it be known that at least 10 trainers quit what they do because Ash and Gary found out about their acts. All ten trainers were found tied up and having his or her license taken away. Oak supported that action greatly._

 _That, and when the poor Charmander was abandoned…_

 _Ash shook his head and showed pure distaste, something the Gengar picked up through years of experience. "There's more, is there not?" Trickster asked._

 _Letting out another sigh, Ash felt like he might as well spill all his feelings. "Well… My father," Ash began as he shook his head. "He left my mother and I, even before I was born. I saw him maybe once or twice as far as I remember and he keeps leaving for his 'traveling'. Heck, he only calls mom when he needs money…" admitted Ash as he clenched his fist. "Mom already submitted a divorce which has been supported by lawyers but it's been going slowly. Dad really fights against it because he often needs money when traveling and it's the reason why mom can't open a larger restaurant despite the fame it has in Pallet Town. All the answers nowadays don't even go through the phone, making me think it's not even my dad replying anymore."_

 _The Gengar gained a frown at the sight of his trainer slowly showing hatred. It's something no aura adept should, but this was a boy with emotional scars. He would hear this out first before taking action._

 _"The thing is, when I saw him for the first time I could see it in his eyes. He didn't care for us at all. He thought of me as a nuisance, his own child. He even voiced it out by saying I'm too much trouble to take care of right in front of me. He practically left us behind," Ash finished as he looked at the Gengar. His fist was clenched so tight that his knuckles turned white and red aura seeped out from it._

 _"Ash…" The Gengar started as Ash shook his head and calmed down, the aura instantly turning blue before disappearing._

 _"I know, Trickster. But it's something that can't be fought, only accepted. I can admit that I can be harsh to those who abandon, leave behind others or hurt others. I admit that I can react violently and I accept that I do," Ash began as he looked at the Gengar fiercely. "There is nobody that can be kind enough to accept all evil and give it a second chance. Not even Arceus herself will do such a thing. I can forgive once, but I do not forgive twice and even that depends on what has been done." Standing up, the Chosen One began to dry himself off with a towel._

 _Trickster looked a little uncomfortable. It's true, even Aaron lost control many times and it's a part of what you are. Every being with emotion has such a side, it's part of them. "But you're letting it get out of hand. I've told you that aura can become harmful," the Gengar started but Ash didn't let Trickster finish._

 _"Harmful? Of course it can be harmful, and I understand how it becomes harmful. But tell me, Trickster, do you expect me to be perfect? I won't turn into some emotionless drone that will save whatever I see and gently scold a trainer, person or Pokémon that causes it. I have emotions myself and I need time to accept that these things happen, especially in front of me. I admit that I might have some problem with people or Pokémon being abandoned, but tell me, do you not? What would you do if, hypothetically, Aaron abandoned you when you were younger and alive? You should resent him for that, shouldn't you? I know I would. Heck, I remember a tale where his Lucario had been abandoned before he left the battlefield, sacrificing his life to heal the Mew that finished it. Imagine how the Lucario would feel if it was alive," Ash was nearly panting as he finished that. He definitely needed to get that out. He hated it when things like this are brought up. Honestly, what was Trickster expecting out of him? Some answer a monk who meditated for half his 80 year old life would give?_

 _His 12 year old mind just can't comprehend the fact he had to forgive and move on after such things. Why can't he be angry? Is it not normal to be angry? Really, is the Chosen One supposed to be a drone without emotions for Arceus' sake? That was definitely the opposite of what Arceus asked him to do, to enjoy his journey._

 _The Gengar remained silent, understanding that this topic was painful and it is very true what Ash spoke of. "I understand," the Gengar spoke subdued. He really did. At the end of his life as a Zoroark, he was left behind because there wasn't anything they could do and they had to leave thanks to an emergency. Even so, he desired Aaron by his side until he passed away, but Aaron left for the Queen's call to help them out in another part of the battlefield. It hurt oh so much in that situation and perhaps it's the grudge that made him into a ghost Pokémon, with the aura turning him into a special ghost Pokémon that recalled his actual life._

 _The Gengar took a deep breath. Perhaps it's time to talk a little about his life, his own ending. It might explain his reasons a little. "Let me talk about my ending as a Zoroark," Gengar began as Ash looked at the Gengar, confused. Why was this suddenly brought up?_

 _Trickster wasn't stopping though. "I was one of Aaron's strongest Pokémon. My task was to defend a certain checkpoint to prevent the army from making a surprise attack and I really did well despite all the wounds I suffered. Countless Pokémon, young and old, fought against me to get through the area at the calls of their human trainers. I was forced to give it my all and more, which gravely wounded me at the end," Trickster spoke with a no-nonsense tone._

 _The Gengar's eyes began to glow, almost fiercely. Ash understood that look as he has the same when he thinks about being abandoned, but it soon disappeared like it was nothing. Could the Gengar truly forgive?_

 _"Aaron found me at the end with Pidgeot and Lucario at his side," the Gengar continued after taking a deep breath. "I was wounded and I did not have much time left. My throat was damaged and I could not speak. I barely had any aura in my body and could not talk to Aaron through our bond, or using the speech. I could not communicate in the slightest but my eyes, oh my eyes how they plead. Plead for him to stay at my side and at least let me know I was special to him as his Pokémon and partner." Trickster took in a deep breath after remembering that specific memory. It still hurt. Trickster held strong though. "Alas, it had not meant to be because a call from the Queen took his mind off of me, his very own Pokémon that was dying. She called for help in another location, taking the shocked Pidgeot and Lucario with him. I could not help but feel resentment, pure resentment at him for not listening to my final wish," the Gengar finished. "He could not stay by my side, his own partner's side, at the end of my life. I was left behind, dying as Pokémon soon started to advance and stepped on the corpses of their fellow species I had to defeat and later on, my own."_

 _Ash couldn't say anything. His raven black hair covered his eyes as droplets of water fell down from it. His own eyes could only show pity, sadness and pure anger at the former Chosen One. Is it true that one ignores his Pokémon's cries for the ask for help?_

 _Ash would discard even Arceus herself for his Pokémon. To Ash, his Pokémon are his family and his family's safety takes priority._

 _For an instance, his aura turned so red and dark that it nearly resembled Yveltal's own energy before turning back to normal. Ash let his thoughts leave him for a moment with the thoughts of brutally harming Aaron for what he has done, even if it was for greater good._

 _"Y-you… Can forgive trash like that?" Grit out of Ash's mouth, his eyes glowing eerily as aura was unconsciously moving through his body - driven by pure anger. Anger for his Pokémon, his - as he calls them - family._

 _The Gengar looked tired, oh so tired compared to his usual acts. "Can I? I wonder. But Ash, what can I do now? It's the past… If I cared about all of that, I wouldn't have lived as long as I have as a Ghastly and later on, Haunter. Even now, I only think of the future."_

 _"But what about your feelings? What would you do if you saw him again? What if others do it? What… if I do it?" Asked Ash continuously. He just couldn't understand how the Gengar could move forward from that. Heck, Trickster noticed Ash's aura and how dark it just became. It was obviously at a boiling point there before the meditation sessions chimed in and calmed it down - perhaps by recently gained reflex._

 _"I can't forgive Aaron for what he did, but I can look to the tomorrow. If he had left me behind, it must've shown that there was no other way in his mind and I can only accept that at this moment," spoke the Gengar sadly. Ash shook his head in denial._

 _"No. The Lucario was later on left behind as well, making him not 'needed' according to the story. That meant that he could tell Lucario to hold onto you and at least take you with them even if it was hopeless. He could've at least tried instead of moving on!" shouted Ash in anger. Why would he leave behind the former Zoroark like that if he left behind Lucario later on as well?!_

 _Giving the boy a small grin, Gengar had to appreciate the love his new trainer had for him. Even if the Chosen One's role is to protect, it appears that the boy is different from Aaron. Then again, were they ever that similar?_

 _Aaron thought of greater good. Ash thinks of family first. Two separate ways of thinking and it shows in their actions. Aaron would lose himself to anger if many get hurt, or even died whereas Ash loses it at the first kind one that gets hurt._

 _"I understand your anger Ash, but just like you said… You can only accept it and as I said, move forward. I guess an example has to be made. Would you rather go to Celebi or Dialga and prevent your mother from ever falling in love with your father so she wouldn't get hurt, or would you give her a new future from this moment on? This also means you won't be born and she won't feel the happiness of a mother at the same moment as she did before. She won't live where she is now, she won't work in the same manner she does now." Trickster knew he was walking on a thin line here, but these kind of questions were the ones that makes someone question himself. Would he prevent it all from happening - which is a very possible option for Ash as the Chosen One - or would he try to fix it in this situation?_

 _Arceus who has the power of a God can do it at a whim. She could prevent any organisation from ever existing, but that means countless good lives are also ruined. This is one of the reasons a legendary Pokémon can't act so rashly._

 _Ash bit the inside of his cheek so hard one might blink at how he hadn't bitten off a piece yet. Clenching both of his fists in anger, his raven black hair now covered his eyes._

 _Would he?_

 _Would he change the past so that his mother wouldn't get left behind?_

 _What would happen afterwards? He wouldn't be born then, he wouldn't even exist. What would his mother do? As she is now, as long as his father doesn't pop up, it's alright. His mother even started taking a liking to looking at men again, something she never did as a faithful wife. After the talks with Brock, such memories made more sense._

 _Would he change that? She seems happy even now, and in the future it might get better whereas if he changes the past, Arceus knows what might happen._

 _Taking a deep breath, Ash decided to mull over it more later. "I guess you're right…" began Ash before letting out an audible sigh. "But I don't like it. I can understand moving on, I really do…" Ash shook his head. Perhaps he's repeating himself now? He really can't remember as this was all going through his mind. His previous thoughts when he admitted one of his feelings, his darker ones, were blown away by the Gengar's story. Adding that question to it… How could the 12 year old answer?_

 _"I'll try to move on, for tomorrow. I really will… but I can't promise I'll do things peacefully at seeing harm being done, or seeing humans and Pokémon being abandoned... I just don't know what to think anymore, Trickster… I think I'm going to meditate for a while." With that said, Ash left the bathroom to put on some new clothing and going for a meditation session. He needed it._

 _Desperately._

 _Trickster could only stare at the door, where his trainer left through. Perhaps it's too much for the Chosen One… He is still 12 years old, but with the amount of aura he had in his body it's very possible to harm many lives if he lost control of it._

 _Thinking back… Perhaps he was acting the same as Aaron. He ignored the feelings of Ash and made Ash think about acting differently, forcing his thoughts to change. The Gengar felt like a hypocrite when those thoughts sounded right. Was this not how his own feelings had been hurt at his death? Aaron left him in order to save many other lives. It brought a mirthless chuckle to the Gengar._

 _Later on, the Gengar joined Ash in his meditation. Perhaps he needed time to search for some answers himself._

Flashback END

Having those thoughts really troubled him for the entire week and despite all of that, he still did all the tasks albeit with a little less excitement. Really, what can you expect from him when such a troublesome thoughts are going through his head?

Letting out a sigh, Ash moved his hand up and captured the moon within his fingers, looking at his fist. It was the last day of the trip here and it was surprisingly calm. He felt at peace at the moment. The disturbing thoughts left him as he was outside, enjoying the sights.

Everyone else was asleep and even Gengar was resting up. His maroon eyes could only look up at the sky wondering how his journey will go from this point on.

As the Chosen One, he is supposed to protect as many as he could and by doing so, he could risk his Pokémon their health and lives. But Ash is not like that. He'd rather sacrifice himself than his own family.

As a trainer, he wants to travel the world and battle the strong with his family, reaching higher and higher until they are recognized as the 'master'. The one at the peak of the mountain.

As a child, he wants to enjoy the sights of the world and see what it has to offer. A journey that gets one's blood pumping.

So many things he has to do and wants to do. So many troubles that may appear… But he wouldn't stop now. He wouldn't stop until he achieved his dream, even if it made him look like his father as no doubt, he will leave his mother alone with the Pokémon for a long time. The Pokémon he leaves at her place to help her out are unknowingly helping out a lot though.

Hopefully the Pelipper duo will bring some smiles to her face. No doubt she'd enjoy the fact that there is a delivery service now.

Whilst watching the stars, Ash felt like he was being watched himself. Perhaps Arceus was looking at him? Looking down, he could see a faint shadow in the water with glowing blue eyes before it disappeared. Perhaps having seen what it wanted to see. It could've been a curious Milotic as he only saw a small head.

Even if Milotic are rare in Kanto, Ash wouldn't think of it as a legend. No way was he that special to attract the attention of legends. Naïve idiot.

Well, his outburst earlier in the week miiight've scared some legends and one was sent to check up on him, but a certain shiny Mew kept watching Ash every now and then so they were up-to-date with the shiny one telling her mother all about it who in turn told Arceus and the other legends.

Shaking his head out of those thoughts, Ash stretched his body. Perhaps it'll do some good to meditate, it'll help him out when the next day comes and they arrive at Cinnabar Island. Taking one last look at the ocean and the moon reflecting on it, he turned around and went inside.

It's time to earn the eighth badge and gain official entry to the Pokémon League, even if he hasn't beaten the eight official for it. Eh, whatever happens will happen. He has at least 4 months left… He might challenge Viridian City later on, perhaps two months before the actual tournament starts.

* * *

Once they left the boat, the group said their goodbyes to Darach and the helpers, wishing them a safe trip back. They decided to ride on Falcon when they will fly back to Pallet Town after they were done here, so they didn't have to wait.

"Oh, Ash," Brock began as he turned to the other two. Both Caitlin and Ash looked at him curiously. Brock must want something if that's how he starts a conversation.

"Can we go to the Seafoam Islands after this? I'm interested in possibly capturing an ice-type Pokémon as I have yet to actually take care of one. It'll help out quite a bit."

Caitlin's face gained a faint smile, "Ice type Pokémon huh? I might want to capture one."

Ash shrugged. He didn't want to capture another ice type yet. While yes, he will definitely need another one in the future he doubted that he'd face down a dragon type or anything of the sorts that actually required a Pokémon other than his Aurorus. Besides, Glacia is a walking disaster for all Pokémon that go against its typing. The ancient Pokémon is only capable of being described as a predator.

Besides, if he does need another one, either a Cubchoo or a Snorunt will be amazing and those aren't available here even with his luck. No matter, he'll agree with it as it's also their journey. He doesn't mind as the cold environment will let him train his Pokémon against the cold, just like how they did during Articuno's blizzard.

Didn't Articuno live down there, though?

A _young_ Articuno at that.

Now _that_ might be an interesting capture if he manages to do so. It'll definitely be a small Articuno, unlike its fellow legendaries, but it'll be an amazing partner. Yes, he'll try going for an Articuno there.

"Sure. I might try to capture Articuno as well, I've heard that young Articuno often rest there. Older ones stay in mountain areas or fly around."

Brock and Caitlin shook their heads. Ash spoke so casually of capturing a legendary, but then again, he was right that they'll face a young Articuno. _If. They. Meet. One._

Ah well, it's not like it'll hurt… but that's when the group turned to one of the giant mansions, smelling something horrible.

"Ugh… What is that smell?" Caitlin complained as they finally took notice of the lack of population.

Ash frowned as he shook his head. "I don't know, it's disgusting though. Let's hurry to a Pokémon Center," a wise choice in this situation.

Brock nodded as the group went towards their next goal, the Pokémon Center. Maybe they'll find out more there.

* * *

Arriving at the Pokémon Center, the group had to stare at the long line of trainers. Brock frowned as he walked towards the Nurse Joy in the area, offering to help her out as he was becoming quite familiar with medical situations. Ash and Caitlin stayed back, staring at the heavy amount of wounded Pokémon.

That, and the large amount of _wild_ Pokémon that are wounded. There were countless Vulpix and Growlithe in the area, even the odd - incredibly rare - Ditto. What in the name of Arceus was going on?

Ash walked up to a nearby trainer, who was holding a Pikachu in his arms.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ash asked as the trainer turned around.

It was one of the few younger trainers, most likely just having received a Pikachu as a partner and it must've gotten hurt. Seeing a 10 year old with a Pokémon explains that after all.

"There are countless Grimer and Muk running around in the abandoned mansion. They've scared off the fire types that live there, though the Ditto and the odd steel types still fight back against them," the younger boy explained. He knew his Pikachu would be safe as the wounds weren't poisoned, there was no purple around the wounds after all.

"I see…" Ash frowned before scratching his head. "What is Blaine doing against this?" He asked to be sure.

The youngster just shrugged. "I think he's been getting a group to battle them and capture as many as possible so they can be transported to a managed area. This is to prevent an outbreak."

Ash nodded. "Can anyone join?"

"As long as you have at least 5 badges, Blaine said that trainers could join. That, and their friends if they are strong enough."

Ash nodded again, thanking the boy for the information. "Good luck. I hope Pikachu will get well soon."

"Thanks," the boy smiled gratefully at the older boy, seeing that Ash meant well.

Caitlin frowned as she saw Ash thinking about something. His eyes become dull when he is deep in thought so she had to snap her fingers near his face. "Earth to Ash. What are you thinking about?"

Ash turned to Caitlin. "Well, there is an outbreak of wild Grimer and Muk in the mansion. You need 5 badges at least to join and you can bring friends if they are strong enough. I was thinking of helping out," Ash explained.

Caitlin nodded as she thought about it. It was a problem that occurred sometimes, having too many Pokémon around that destroy the others their livelihood.

Grimer and Muk were infamous for their smell after all. Shivering at the thought of that, she nodded at Ash. "We'll join. Let's leave Brock here so he can help the Nurse Joy of Cinnabar Island. It'll make it easier in case we have to return with poisoned Pokémon." Might as well get rid of that stench now.

Ash nodded in agreement as he called out to Brock what they were going to do. The elder teen was obviously surprised but smiled and waved them off, understanding why. Ash just can't ignore these situations.

* * *

The two trainers arrived at the inn where a small group of trainers stood at attention. A tall, bald man with round glasses was standing there wearing a white suit not unlike a scientist's. This was definitely either a professor, random scientist or Blaine, as it was common knowledge that he was a former scientist.

Definitely Blaine, as there's a magnificent Ninetales standing next to him. That Ninetales looked very, _very_ strong. Only a professional fire-type trainer could make a Ninetales appear that strong. The inner flames of the Pokémon were so strong that the room instantly heated up when they entered.

"I see that we have two more trainers to help out. This should be enough to take care of most of the Grimer and Muk," Blaine started as he figured they were here for that reason. Why else would they enter the inn at this time? There were no tourists at the moment.

After introducing themselves, Ash and Caitlin simply nodded to questions in agreement. They were opting to stay silent. It's best to listen to the man with more experience than them.

Blaine nodded in thought. "I've heard of you, Ash. Lance has been making calls to make your gym challenges harder than they should be. You definitely fit the bill in terms of appearance," he mumbled.

Ash heard what the old man had said and shrugged. "Lance likes to make it harder for me, I guess? I started a little earlier than others with training and I've been taught by Professor Oak. That, and I have amazing friends," Ash smiled.

Blaine grinned slightly, "If you have a fire-type, I'll gladly give you some tips to raise one. How about we get going to the mansion?" The old man spoke and seven other trainers all stood up. Seeing a badge on each of their jackets meant that they were league ACE trainers.

"There aren't any other trainers in the area?" Ash had to ask. Why would others not help?

Blaine shook his head. "No, it appears that most trainers have forgotten about my gym. I often decide to hide it through riddles and the likes. Young trainers never research the gyms of regions these days."

Ash chuckled as Caitlin just smiled.

Blaine grinned again. "Well then, let's get this show on the road. I'll give each of you twenty special League Balls. These will instantly transport the Grimer and Muk to a league area where they will take care of the problem," there was no need to explain anything else as the man grabbed a pair of pouches, each filled with League Balls.

League Balls. The Pokémon League created these to handle threats of wild Pokémon and various trainers if their Pokémon run wild. Each ball has a set destination that can be installed with the use of a league computer. Their designs were quite simple, being a blue version of a Pokéball with a large, white L on top of it.

Why make them special anyway? They are capable of capturing _anything_ except legendary Pokémon. Naturally, the league balls are an extremely protected secret - even if trainers knew about them - as there is nobody who has managed to crack the software.

Team Rocket would've done anything to get their hands on them if they managed to. Good thing it's one of the things the league protects like a Kangaskhan protects its child.

That, in simple words, means _very_ violent.

The two trainers caught the pouches and confirmed the twenty league balls. Ash then attached the pouch to his belt, tying it up so he wouldn't lose it and he took out a Pokéball to call out his Pikachu.

" _Hmm. Time to stretch!_ " Pikachu spoke cheerfully. Naturally, others could only hear "Piiiika!", not that it mattered.

"Pikachu, ready to beat up some Grimer and Muk? Maybe if we're lucky, we can capture a Pokémon there… If the Pokémon is interesting enough," Ash joked with a smile. He would capture anything that would've liked to join him after all.

" _Of course! I kind-of hope for a fellow electric type though. Maybe there'll be an Electabuzz?_ " Pikachu wondered as he jumped onto Ash's shoulder. The boy barely noticed as he and Caitlin went outside, being ahead of the group as they knew the way. They could start whenever they want after all. The others were finishing their drinks before they'll join them, which is in a few minutes.

"Mm… Electabuzz sounds awesome," Ash mumbled as he put a finger on his chin, thinking about it. Electric types had … one weakness. That's pretty sweet. There were only three types that could resist their attacks as well, with one being a possible exception if the grass type is in the air.

The Elekid evolution line has a large movepool, most of them being able to destroy their weaknesses. They are amazingly versatile if you train them right.

If, and this is _if_ Ash meets a group of them, he would earnestly go for the Elekid instead of the Electabuzz though.

The reasoning behind it is very simple. Electabuzz and Scyther are infamous for their hate of the color red. The reason why that is escapes Ash right now as he wasn't too interested in that when studying under Professor Oak, nor did he want to find out anytime soon, as he'd definitely get attacked with his red outfits and eyes.

An Elekid has no such weakness. If Ash could train one as a Elekid and mentally prepare it, to the point of possibly teaching it a move such as Confusion or Psychic - which is very possible if one thinks about an Electivire using Psychic - and let's not forget the ability to _teleport_ would be too much to pass by.

Even if teaching Teleport is _extremely_ hard to do, an Elekid and its evolution Electabuzz are capable of learning it. It is currently unknown if an Electivire can learn it, and even then, Elekid and Electabuzz that are capable of learning the move Teleport are counted on one hand.

Trainers were far, far too lazy to teach it to their Pokémon. They can, after all, capture an Abra or other psychic type with the move. The ones who _do_ teach that move to their Elekid or Electabuzz are often the scariest to battle. Imagine an Electivire capable of using Teleport to actually dodge moves like Sabrina's Abra is capable of. Far. Too. Powerful.

Teleport would be one of the things Ash would abuse. He would abuse it like no other. Sweet, sweet fast travels. The only downside is that he'd have to travel there with the Elekid/Electabuzz/Electivire first.

Not just that, but an Elekid is capable of learning certain moves much easier than an Electabuzz. One example would be Mega Punch and Mega Kick. These two moves, while nowadays underrated, are useful in close combat scenarios. Not many Pokémon actually resist normal type moves after all.

But he was getting sidetracked in his fantasies. While it's very possible to meet an Elekid or its evolution in an abandoned mansion filled with Pokémon, the Grimer and its evolution should've scared them off by now.

A shame. He might have to visit the Power Plant if he really wants one.

"Earth to Ash," Caitlin snapped her fingers, startling Ash. The boy looked at his companion who in turn pointed at the mansion in front of their nose, along with the horrible stench.

Damn, he really got sidetracked there. It was just wishful thinking as well, but he'll definitely attempt it in the future if he does see the option. He _really_ doubted that one would stay in that mansion.

"Sorry! I was distracted!" Ash apologized as he bowed his head a bit to Caitlin, apologizing earnestly.

Caitlin just let out a huff, "Whatever. What were you thinking about?"

"Capturing an Elekid, but I doubt there'll be one there. I hope to capture one in the future though," Ash's eyes held hope.

Caitlin gave Ash a small smile. "How about I ask Darach to find one that is specially bred to be calmer amongst its species? Being born with a psychic parent often helps," the offer was indeed a very tempting thing for Ash as he thought about it.

"Maybe. But I'd rather catch one and deserve it… Making you do all that for one of my selfish wishes is stupid."

Caitlin just gave a small smile. At least she knew a gift to give Ash when he leaves for Johto and she'll leave for Unova.

"Either way, Ash, it's time to get going and capture the Grimer and Muk."

"Right!"

* * *

So here they stood, staring at what was a wall of purple that also contained many eyes.

What in the name of _Giratina_ is that? That is literally a wall of Grimer, all stacked up as they entered the mansion. There was barely any space for them to continue on as they completely filled up the entry, possibly being their 'main location'. As far as Ash could count there were at least 20 of them.

That is a lot of Grimer, especially for such an area. This being just one, albeit the largest, room in the mansion made it so much scarier to imagine how many they have to capture. It just explains why Blaine handed out 20 league balls each.

"Well… Let's get this show on the road?" Ash spoke hesitantly at Caitlin, now seeing her face.

It showed pure _disgust_. He could imagine why. The _stench_ was absolutely _horrible_.

Caitlin nodded however as she pulled out a Pokéball. A surprise to Ash as a Togepi popped out.

"Since when… did you have a Togepi?" Ash was certain she didn't have one a few days ago.

Caitlin looked at him before looking down at the Togepi she held in her arms. Gently poking the Togepi's cheek to wake _her_ up, she looked back to Ash. "She's hatched on the last day actually, when I was asleep. I woke up without an egg in my arms and spotted a Togepi sleeping _inside_ of my gown. I guess she imprinted me as her mother when she hatched at night," explained Caitlin.

" _Mmmeeema, stopp…_ "

It seems the Togepi didn't like being poked if the whine was anything to go by. Chuckling a bit, he looked at the Grimer that were looking at them curiously.

"So why'd you call her out?"

"... Extrasensory," Caitlin pretty much whispered but both Togepi and Ash heard it, making Ash blink a few times.

 _Togepi can learn that move? Now that's one rare egg._

Togepi's eyes began to glow blue as despite being newborn, she had battle instincts. Two Grimer were blasted away from the large wall which definitely surprised Ash. It seems that those were the weaker ones, but still. That is a powerful Togepi in terms of special attacks.

"Alright then. Pikachu, could you take out as many as you can? If they use Toxic or anything, use Iron Tail to deflect it," ordered Ash as Pikachu agreed and jumped off, using Thundershock to damage the Grimer instead of fully powered Thunderbolts or Thunder.

A Grimer on fire will smell even worse. Arceus forbid how _that_ would smell. Ash agreed with that line of thought as even slightly singed, the stench increased somewhat.

Perhaps he should add another Pokémon to the list to 'clean' the Grimer.

"Hermit," he called out his Kalos starter as the Ninja Pokémon looked at the wall curiously. That was a new one. "Use Water Pulse on the Grimer. Make sure they can't escape through drains or something, they're to be captured for the league."

The Greninja nodded in agreement and soon rushed into battle with two large water orbs in his hands.

With Pikachu and Hermit taking care of the stronger ones, the Togepi was busy using Extrasensory to knock out the weaker ones. Even if Togepi was very new and inexperienced, the move alone is powerful and so were her natural stats. The mass use of Extrasensory also helped as the Togepi gradually got used she was born with.

While this was going on the two trainers were getting some throwing experience with the League Balls. Whenever a Grimer got knocked out, seen by the large X's with their eyes, they threw a ball and it instantly transported the knocked out Grimer to its set location.

"Pretty fun to do this. Makes me wonder how many league trainers have this as their job," mumbled Ash as he threw a ball similar to how a baseball player would.

Caitlin shook her head at the dramatic way of throwing the capture device, but understood it's just to make it more fun. These Grimer were the weaker bunch of the group, no doubt. It's nice for her Togepi to get some actual experience from them though. Ash just made it a little sport for himself.

They were soon joined by the other trainers and Blaine looked impressed at the sight of the Togepi throwing around Grimer. Even he could see that the Pokémon was newborn.

Either way, his Ninetales got some nice Iron Tail practice as the nine tails were being used to slam against various Grimer. He, alongside the others began throwing their league balls at the Grimer.

The fun part about this all is, if he were to use a Pokédex the Grimer would be estimated around level 15. He could see it thanks to the light purple colour instead of being darker, which gradually enters the colour a Muk has if they reach the right amount of experience and power.

A Togepi, _newborn_ at that, knocked out these Pokémon.

* * *

"I finished my 20 captures, Caitlin," Ash finished as he showed his empty pouch.

Caitlin shrugged. "I got 4 league balls left. Want to have two of them?"

"Sure. Let's go to the basement though, I suspect there'll be actual Muk there."

Caitlin shrugged again. She recalled Togepi after the baby Pokémon finished getting some battle experience, making it sleepy. She'll spoil her newborn Pokémon later. Right now, she had her Espeon next to her and Ash still had Pikachu and Hermit out.

So the two left for the basement. They did however, find many interesting papers in the mansion. Some were blurred through either age or lack of care but they all pointed at a single thing.

Mew.

The Pokémon that is said to be the origin. A Pokémon that contains the DNA of all Pokémon. In a way, Ash could admit that was true. He met two Mew after all and they could use all kinds of moves. There were, however, flaws in that logic.

How would a Mew be born - and how would a Mew give birth to an actual _God_ , such as Arceus?

As much as it annoys Ash, he could see that there was some extensive research done about Mew in this building. He could even see a few pictures of a Ditto and he knew that those originated from a Mew.

Could they be made from their DNA? Why else would so many pages refer to DNA and Mew?

As the two entered the basement they could see that the floor was cracked and that there were four Muk. Four large, experienced ones at that. So these are the 'bosses'?

"Hmm. Each of us get two, like a double battle or will it be a battle royal?" Caitlin offered as she saw the Muk gradually turn around to them.

"Battle royal. It'll be useful if we can combine moves after all. I still haven't used psychic type moves as much as I wish, so I'll hope that you'll give me some experience with them."

"Alright then," Caitlin agreed as she grasped another Pokéball from her belt. Throwing it in front of her, she called out her Gardevoir. Whilst she may be partially fairy type, with the use of psychic she will mostly dominate the battle.

"Pikachu, Hermit. No need to hold back here or we'll lose. I don't think you want to be dissolved by a Muk too," with that said, the two Pokémon instantly entered their 'battle mode'. Their eyes sharpened even if it was darker down here and the dark purple color of the muk was visible to them.

""You know what to do,"" both Ash and Caitlin were confident that their Pokémon could move without instructions. It's how they like to train after all and a Pokémon sees things differently from them. They could order them if they spotted something suspicious.

Hermit started off by firing a massive Water Pulse, which Pikachu actually made more dangerous with the use of a Thundershock. The electric and water combo hit a single Muk, causing it to stagger backwards and the three other Muk were now paying all attention to them.

One of the Muk fired a massive flamethrower that was soon blocked with the use of Psychic by Caitlin's Espeon. The fire was then redirected to the Muk that Pikachu and Hermit hit, taking down one at a time.

The other two Muk then fired Sludge Bombs towards them. Pikachu acted as the Gardevoir would most likely waste energy on using Protect for this. An Iron Tail was fully charged as the steel type move batted the massive orbs away.

Caitlin's Gardevoir then took action by using Hyper Voice. The move instantly hit the Muk, causing them to stagger and the floor was strangely trembling…

Wait, trembling?

One of the Muk, however, was stubborn and instantly used something it shouldn't have. Heck, it was a suicidal attempt to actually take them down as a Muk can recover itself later on.

 _Explosion._

Like that, the world became white and the trainers with their Pokémon felt heat. Perhaps by survival instinct did Ash cover both Caitlin and himself with aura and their Pokémon used moves to reflect it.

...

 _Greninja just had to cheat with Lick._

* * *

When his trainer got hit by the Explosion, Hermit was furious. He knew, however, that he had to act quickly.

The Gardevoir, Espeon and Pikachu were fine. They were Pokémon and had natural strong bodies, but a human? No, that was pushing it, even with Ash's aura.

But it was a blessing in disguise that two still healthy looking children were falling down. Yes, falling down.

The Muk exploded and took the entire floor with it. The Greninja was sure that this was way too overkill, but it seems that these Muk had intended to claim the mansion as their area.

A shame that they could not do so as Grimer and Muk should not be in such areas. At least - not that many. A few were fine, but the amount that were there now was insane.

Seeing four league balls, the Greninja took action and had to blink a few times at how he wasn't being captured. It must be set on wild Pokémon, but he was desperate.

While they are falling down, the Gardevoir was already starting to use telekinesis and slow the fall. All Pokémon were affected, even the Muk and so the Greninja took other actions. Using the four orbs, the Greninja captured the last of the Muk himself.

How amusing - a Pokémon capturing a Pokémon.

Either way, they were now dropping down and the Greninja nodded to the older Gardevoir, seeing that it was safe with his natural eyesight.

" _Please use Flash, Pikachu and Espeon. It'll be better if we can see where we'll actually land,"_ commented the Greninja to his companions. It seems he was the one who was falling the fastest. Pikachu soon joined him and he had the same idea.

Flashing brightly, the Pikachu soon changed the entire area from dark to light. The Espeon didn't even have to do anything as the Pikachu used extra energy into this, his red cheek pouches practically turning into glowing suns as it hit the entire area.

As they landed, in the middle of a lab, the Pokémon rushed to their trainers.

" _Ash seems to be fine. Some of his clothes are burnt, but physically he should be alright. His ears must hurt though,_ " the Pikachu winced at the reminder as his ears definitely hurt. Sometimes he wished that they would turn deaf at those moments, but their bodies were much stronger than a human's.

" _Indeed,_ " Gardevoir commented as she carefully lowered herself on her knees in a familiar manner. She carefully grasped Caitlin's head and placed it on her lap, soon enough doing the same with Ash thanks to Telekinesis.

" _Where are we?_ " The Espeon was currently looking around. There was a large tube, obviously broken from the inside if the way the glass was on the floor was anything to go by.

" _I'm… not sure. Pikachu, you know best how to read. Can you look at the documents on that table? I think that's a diary too if the large "DIARY" is worth anything,_ " Greninja pointed at a table full of books and two diaries.

Pikachu nodded as he jumped onto the table and began to look for any hints. The Pikachu, however, flinched at some pointers.

" _Mew...two?_ " The Pikachu spoke, unsure of what that meant. Did that mean there was another Mew? Why call it Mewtwo?

 **Diary entry 704**

 **We have finally succeeded! Mewtwo has been a success as the boss has mentioned it had excelled in the test trials of combat. With the drug enhancements and special chemicals, we have made the Mewtwo become stronger than it ever could be as a Mew.**

 **This fact was also proven. According to our scanners, we have finally succeeded in surpassing Mew, the ancestor of all Pokémon! Team Rocket will definitely succeed in taking over Kanto now!**

" _What the…_ " Pikachu bit his lip. They mentioned surpassing a legendary. How?

Greninja walked up to Pikachu, careful of the glass. " _What is the matter, Pikachu?_ " Hermit asked carefully. The Pikachu's tail stood upright, showing that the Pikachu was either extremely focused or alarmed.

" _They're talking about surpassing Mew here… Wait, there's more._ "

 **Diary entry 705**

 **I'm not sure, but the boss is acting weird. As if Mewtwo's power is not enough. He asked us to forcefully inject more drugs in order to increase its physical abilities so it is not reliant on its psychic abilities. But why is that? Wasn't it capable of practically destroying a town on its own? It seems that the boss is only satisfied with perfection.**

 **So we will answer to his calls. The Mewtwo has been strangely… quiet. I'm not sure if that is a good sign.**

 **Diary entry 706**

 **It was definitely not a good sign. The Mewtwo has killed three of my fellow researchers until the sleeping drugs knocked it out. We have now put it inside one of the tubes where it can't access its psychic abilities. We still have to put in more drugs as our boss wants us to.**

 **The boss was absolutely furious that the Mewtwo was able to do that. We now electrically charge the Mewtwo if it shows any disobedience.**

 **Diary entry 707**

 **It seems that Mewtwo has calmed down again. The electric treatment and the lack of pain it must feel thanks to the massive amount of painkilling drugs must have done its trick.**

 **So far, it is going fine. We have noticed that the physical body is improving and growing. We have to find a way to limit its power though… Perhaps we should use the memories it had in the past? That failed clone - Ambertwo - left an impact… Perhaps we should lie that she is still alive? After all, giving it false hope will make it more complacent.**

 **Diary entry 708**

 **Our plan seems to work. The Mewtwo allows us to do what is needed and keeps growing stronger. We have yet to find anything that blocks its power, but we are looking for a way to do so. The boss has mentioned that if Mewtwo goes berserk, we should add a killswitch as well.**

 **Diary entry 709**

 **We have begun creating a killswitch. A mini bomb that will activate on command and we'll transplant it into the Mewtwo's body. It has been quiet and obedient, so this should go fine. I can't shake the feeling that the glass of the tube is shaking though.**

 **Diary 710**

 **NO! Mewtwo broke free and is now killing all of the researchers in rage! It seems to have gained the ability to read minds and memories as it was definitely looking at us the entire time!**

 **Whoever reads this, please listen… If you see a Pokémon that calls itself Mewtwo, run. It is far too dangerous to approach.**

With it, came a picture of a Pokémon.

A humanoid, bipedal creature that looked eerily similar to a human, despite its feline appearance. It has a primarily gray body with the exception being its large, purple tail. It has two blunt horns and purple eyes and strangely there was a tube that connects the back of its head to the top of its spine. Unlike a human, however, its chest looks similar to a breastplate and it has three digits on each hand and foot with spherical tips.

The Greninja couldn't help but shiver when Pikachu showed the picture and how quickly that Mewtwo Pokémon became stronger according to Pikachu. This was a very strong Pokémon, assuming it matches a Mew.

" _They've… created a Pokémon. With Mew as design?_ " Greninja asked for confirmation as the Pikachu was quickly searching through earlier pages of the diary.

The Gardevoir and Espeon remained silent as the two Pokémon were thinking about the newly mentioned Pokémon. Gardevoir was ignoring it in favor of helping her trainer and her trainer's friend rest, whereas Espeon was looking at a hole in the wall curiously.

" _Who's there?_ " Espeon asked curiously.

That drew the attention of the Pokémon as they now all stared at the hole in the wall. It was small, so whatever it was must be small as well. What was it that Espeon noticed?

" _N-nothing. What are you doing here? No Pokémon come here,_ " a small voice spoke. It was definitely young and when it stepped out of the hole it revealed itself.

A lion cub. Well, a lion cub with a small patch of red fur on its head. Well, the Kalos starter recognized it at first glance.

" _A Litleo? What is your species doing here?" They are, after all, extremely rare. In Kanto._

The Litleo looked down as it pawed the floor carefully. " _My egg hatched here. I was born not much after this place was abandoned. I've been living off of the food storage since then,_ " the Litleo spoke.

A good thing that Pokémon learn how to speak naturally, unlike humans.

" _I see…_ " Espeon looked at the smaller Pokémon before looking at Caitlin.

" _My trainer might be interested in capturing you, Litleo. She has a kind heart, no doubt about that._ " Espeon spoke as she was definitely curious to what the Litleo will do with that knowledge.

" _What do you mean? Do you think I'll let myself be captured?_ " Litleo's appearance turned fiercer as it revealed a sharp pair of teeth. A surprisingly deceptive face then as those teeth could definitely hurt a Pokémon.

The Espeon gave a Pokémon equivalent of a shrug. " _Perhaps. It's what you want. I offered the idea because Caitlin has been nothing but kind. She takes care of us, trains us and plays with us at times as well. There could be worse things such as staying here or let some random trainer capture you._ "

Pikachu had to let out a snicker though. " _Ever tried becoming a saleswoman? You'll definitely fit the bill._ "

" _Shush you,_ " Espeon playfully used some minor psychic energy to throw a book at Pikachu's head.

" _Ow! Fine, fine! Let's just wait until Ash wakes up and we can get going. Be sure to take these diaries with us, Hermit._ " Pikachu was serious about that. Those diaries contained valuable information for their trainer - for his security and job as a chosen.

After all a Pokémon that might be stronger than the odd legendary was created and it wasn't happy with humanity. No, it wasn't happy at all. Ash will no doubt meet this Pokémon.

" _Got it, Pikachu._ "

* * *

"Ugh… Those damn Muk definitely hit us hard…" Ash was the first to wake up, carefully sitting up straight as he noticed the surroundings being lit up by Pikachu. "Where are we?"

" _This seems to be an abandoned lab. These diaries will explain everything and be sure to read the last entries Ash. We might have to step up training even harder because of this news._ " Pikachu pointed at the diaries that the Greninja was holding.

"What do you mean? Ugh.. My head hurts," groaned Ash as he rubbed his forehead. "What is this place for? Wasn't it just a mansion?"

Hermit decided to speak up first. " _No. This was used as a secret lab to create a Pokémon with Mew's DNA. I believe the actual creation was done elsewhere, but they were doing modification here._ " The ever so loyal Ninja spoke as he used an arm to carefully pull up Ash. He best get his blood flowing.

"Thanks Hermit, that helps," Ash grunted as he stretched his body carefully, making sure he didn't fall back on the floor. Seeing the glass lying down there definitely made him hesitate walking though. Those look pretty sharp.

" _Ash. We should get out of here, now. These diaries are important, for us double so. I think this is a problem that you might have to solve someday. Let us hurry before someone else comes here and takes it away before you can read it,_ " Pikachu's voice attracted Ash's attention completely.

Let it be known that Pokémon give less than Tauros crap about what other humans think. If they see something that their trainer will most likely be involved in, they'll make sure their trainer knows of it.

Mewtwo is very dangerous after all.

"Alright, alright…" With the help of his Greninja, Ash carefully walked to the desk and pocketed the diaries in his bag. Scanning around the area he noticed that there were a bunch of slave collars. Slave collars for Pokémon, to be more specific.

He won't like reading that diary, that's for sure.

Ash turned around in an instant when he heard a small groan of pain, seeing Caitlin wake up. On her lap… was a Litleo?

"A Litleo?"

The Pokémon in question turned to him before giving a close to arrogant look and turning his head, looking only at Caitlin. _Definitely male_.

"Seems like you're awake, Caitlin. You've made a friend too," Ash couldn't help but snicker as she blinked a few times, seeing that she indeed had a Pokémon on top of her.

"Oh? Aren't you cute?" She temporarily forgot about her situation as she held the Litleo in an embrace, shocking the Fire/Normal type before making it relax. It seems that the Litleo enjoyed the contact after a while as he nuzzled against her.

 _Really, the Pokémon liked her already?_

Shaking his head in a mix of amusement and disbelief, Ash looked around the area for anything he could possibly have missed. The cameras were destroyed so they couldn't be recorded and there was no sign of any recording device. It would've been destroyed just like the cameras. It's a surprise the diaries were still there - but that could be because someone looked through them later on.

Either way, he'll take the diaries with him. A shame he couldn't capture any Pokémon, but Caitlin seemed to have a new friend which is always nice. The fact her Togepi hatched in secret did bother him because he wanted to congratulate her - oh well.

Oh, perhaps a Light Stone would be a nice gift? Yes, a Light Stone would definitely be nice to give to her on her birthday. The stone is quite rare and expensive after all. Hmm, perhaps create an accessory with it as an extra gift?

Shaking the thoughts away, the Chosen One turned to his companion. "Can you walk? We need to get out of here before something far more violent than Litleo can ever be gets here. I haven't seen the Muk anywhere either."

" _Oh… I captured the Muk as we fell down, Ash,_ " Hermit spoke as he turned to his trainer, making Ash blink a few times before snickering. "A Pokémon catching another Pokémon. Now that's a good one. Ah well. It seems we are finished here then, Caitlin. Can you walk?" Ash asked, again.

Caitlin tried standing up with Gardevoir's help but it seemed to be hard as she felt her ankle hurting a lot. It could be that the explosion made some rubble hit her leg because it looked close to blue.

"That… doesn't look well. Can you capture Litleo? I'll carry you on my back instead," Ash offered as he took off his backpack, putting it on backwards so that it was in front of him. That way he could carry Caitlin without any trouble.

"A-alright," Caitlin blinked a few times at the offer, quite surprised. Then again, she did teach him to be sweeter to women. It seems to be taking effect as he was quite gentle with her. Turning to Litleo, she focused on what she had to do. "Are you sure you like me and wish to be captured? You'll be in my team as I only have a five Pokémon with me, but still," Caitlin hesitated.

The Litleo in question shook his head before looking around her belt. He found a few Pokéballs and pawed randomly before touching an empty one, instantly captured as it didn't even twitch.

"You know… I wonder if normal trainers keep catching Pokémon like us. Talking to them and the likes," shaking his head in amusement, Ash got in front of Caitlin and crouched so that she could get on. Gardevoir carefully helped Caitlin up as she wrapped her slender arms around his neck and Ash grasped her legs carefully. She really was light though, but the pressing mounds against his back definitely attracted his attention.

' _Get your mind out of the gutter, Ash Ketchum!_ ' He mentally berated himself before walking on. Their Pokémon followed quietly as they searched for an exit, soon enough finding one.

Where it leads to - no idea.

* * *

"So… The lab is connected to the side of an active volcano," Ash mumbled as they stood outside. The sky turned dark as he stood there with Caitlin on his back.

"Yes… That's definitely not the best location to place it. Lava could get in as it flows downwards… I question the builders."

"Ditto."

The group then took their time to walk towards the city. It wasn't hard to find since Cinnabar Island wasn't that big, making it easy for them to get around. A good thing too because Ash would definitely get lost easily.

The Pokémon behind them held an interesting conversation though.

" _I wonder why he isn't using Falcon to fly there,_ " Pikachu whispered to Hermit and Gardevoir.

Gardevoir giggled silently. " _Silly Pikachu. It's because my trainer is on his back and what does a girl have that would press against a boy?_ "

Hermit gained a teasing glint in his eyes. " _Oh, my trainer is maturing._ "

Pikachu couldn't help but snicker. " _I wonder how long it'll take before they're mates._ "

Hermit snickered alongside Pikachu but Gardevoir shook her head.

" _You boys should know that humans do things differently. They 'date' before even thinking of 'mating' to see if they're the right one. They're not like us,_ " the Psychic/Fairy type chided the other two Pokémon.

Pikachu blinked a few times. " _Wait… Where's Espeon?_ "

Gardevoir blinked alongside the Greninja as they turned around to see a teary eyed Espeon.

" _You guys completely forgot about me!_ "

Pikachu was the first one to speak.

" _... Uh. Oops._ "

The rest of the way there they could only hear Espeon complain how she could be forgotten so easily. How the heck did they forget about one of Caitlin's Pokémon?

* * *

After a very long, long time of begging for forgiveness from both Pokémon and trainer, Espeon had forgiven them in her fit of rage at being forgotten.

Understandable, really.

Caitlin let out a sigh as she returned Espeon. That really was a bad mistake, "There's so much going on, I can't even seem to focus," she complained.

Ash couldn't help but smile a bit. "Welcome to my life. You're tasting what I am on a daily basis."

"Poor boy," teased Caitlin with a small smile, cheering up a little. Wrapping her arms carefully around Ash's neck, she leaned a bit closer.

"But at least you have a cute girl holding onto you right?"

"W-wha.. Whaa…" Ash's still slightly innocent brain crashed as he walked mindlessly towards the city, his face burning red.

Gardevoir behind them smirked a bit and had to make a fist pump motion. _That's her trainer alright! Use those womanly charms!_

Pikachu and Greninja couldn't help but reveal a deadpan expression. A thought shared by the two. ' _Women sure are scary…_ '

Oh, the city was finally in sight!

Pikachu just had to hit a finishing blow to Ash, " _Brock will definitely be mad at you for this, Ash,_ " and Ash's face made Pikachu's day so much better.

* * *

"WHERE WERE YOU TWO?!" Brock shouted, his head enlarging comically at them as he looked absolutely furious with worry added to the mix.

"W-we fell down when attempting to capture the Muk. One used Explosion and the floor broke apart, making us fall down," Ash started to explain as he and Caitlin were now sitting in a chair. They definitely felt small compared to the mother hen of the group in his rage.

"We were unconscious for a while. When we woke up, we found ourselves in an abandoned lab. Seeing how there was a project there, involving Project M2, Ash grabbed the documents. I captured a Litleo and we went straight towards the city afterwards," finished Caitlin, keeping it short.

Brock took a deep breath after hearing that before smiling a bit. "At least you two are fine… Come on, let's get your ankle checked, Caitlin. Ash, can you prepare food? I'm sure you two and your pokémon are famished."

""Sure Brock,"" like that, the day passed.

Caitlin's ankle would be alright in about three days thanks to the special bandages of the Pokémon Center and the Pokémon and their trainers had a large meal before falling asleep.

Ash will challenge Blaine the very next day. For now, rest is more important.

* * *

It was the next morning that Ash finally called to Lance. He was quite disgusted by the acts and he knew that Lance was going after the M2 project. He just hoped this information would help them out a bit.

" _Ash? What's the matter?_ " A voice came out of his Xtransceiver, the boy sitting alone in a room so nobody could eavesdrop.

"Well, Lance, there's quite a problem. Do you remember project M2 being mentioned?" Ash asked for confirmation before he'd go further.

Lance had to think for a while before getting it.

" _Ah, from Team Rocket? What about it?_ "

Ash took a deep breath so he'd remain calm. "Let it be known that if I see the leader of Team Rocket, he won't get far. I've got the diaries of those who created M2, also known as _Mew_ two. It is a clone of Mew, enhanced with drugs and various scientific terms that I don't really understand as I'm not interested in those subjects."

" _They cloned a Mew?! How in the name of Arceus did they manage to do that?!_ " Lance was, understandably, horrified.

To imagine that a clone of Mew, enhanced at that, is flying around. A loose legendary with most likely a fierce dislike to humans.

"Yes. They did. I've read about it all. Mewtwo was young at first with several other clones, one being Mr. Fuji's granddaughter Amber. She died and he wanted to bring her back to life but it wasn't meant to be. Mewtwo grew up with her and three cloned starters of Kanto but they also died and he alone was left thanks to the superior DNA of Mew.

Lance, they broke him. They literally broke Mewtwo's mind several times over. They used memories of Amber, who communicated with him, to use him. I wouldn't be surprised if Mewtwo was showing hatred to all humans now thanks to the acts of Team Rocket. The worst part is that they have _shared_ the results with various other criminal groups. One of them being something called Team Plasma.

Mewtwo was tortured, not fed, forced to take in drugs and was forced to _kill_ , Lance. That is not an environment that a Pokémon or human should grow up in."

Lance remained silent. Ash could see his eyes, fierce like a dragon as he was most likely thinking of various ways to _butcher_ Team Rocket. Lance, like him, loved Pokémon - especially dragon-types. That did not mean he did not love others though. Heck, Ash met his freakin' Arcanine. He most likely revered legends too, seeing how he is from the Blackthorn clan.

" _I see… Ash, do you think it is possible to make Mewtwo calm down?_ " Lance asked the boy. Lance _knew_ that Ash was capable of feats that even he couldn't in the form of therapy for a Pokémon. Ash just had this air around him that made Pokémon comfortable.

"I doubt it. There has to be a shock for Mewtwo to understand, or else he will be too stubborn to listen. That does not mean it's not impossible. Hopefully we can find Mewtwo before this all has a horrible outcome. I can only imagine how Mewtwo will treat humans after how he has been treated."

" _I understand. If I find out anything, I'll tell you. I know that you are more likely to make him calm down than even I. Then again, that's why you're an amazing trainer, Ash,_ " Lance couldn't hold back the small smile.

Ash gave a tired smile. "I guess. Can you send a Pokémon to pick up the diaries? I've finished reading them and you might want them to study them yourself. They also contain information about actual cloning of Pokémon, which they later on succeeded as well. Mewtwo did manage to escape after they tried to increase his power with more drugs and such."

" _That's fine. I'll send Dragonite to pick it up, where are you at?_ "

"I'm going to challenge Blaine soon. Also, send some G-men towards the Pokémon Mansion and check the basement. There is a hole there that leads to the abandoned lab."

" _Good thing you mentioned that,_ " Lance chuckled as he could imagine how Ash's mind was rolling right now. So many priorities, it must be hard to keep them straight. " _I'll be sure to send a few men. For now, good luck with your battle. I should start my day of work as well._ "

"Have a nice day Lance. Don't get caught by fangirls," teased Ash with a small smile.

" _Ha! That'll be the day! I am scared though._ " Lance hung up after laughing for a bit, perhaps melancholic.

Fangirls. They're scary. Lance has tons of them. _Ash could swear it's the cape_.

Grabbing a his starter's Cherish Ball, Ash called out Pikachu. "Ready for the battle against Blaine, Pikachu?"

" _Always, Ash! Let's earn the right to battle the league!_ "

"Heh. That's why you're my best friend, we're so alike."

* * *

After the following morning ritual, Ash and his friends, including Caitlin that was - embarrassingly so - carried by a Gallade, left for the Gym. Caitlin's reactions however... The way the Gallade held her was the popular princess carry. It amused Ash and Brock to no end and even her Gallade had the odd chuckle at her embarrassed blush.

"Do you know where to find Blaine, Ash?" Brock asked as he held out a folder he got from Nurse Joy for helping out. It held all locations, even the Gym so he asked to be sure.

"I suppose. I think it's the volcano, really, but I don't know where the entrance is," Ash replied calmly as he walked with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Hmmm," Brock read some parts about the gym before looking at Ash. "The entrance is at the hot springs. Sounds like a nice place to go to after the gym, what say you?"

Ash couldn't help but grin at that. Hot springs are really nice!

Caitlin let out a small huff, "You guys better go there. Hot springs have natural healing components within them so my ankle might recover faster."

Ash and Brock just chuckled in amusement again.

" _Such a spoiled girl,_ " Gallade muttered as he shook his head in amusement.

Pikachu couldn't help but open his mouth after hearing the Gallade mutter those words.

" _You guys are the reason she's spoiled y'know._ "

" _I won't deny it._ "

"Oh, we're here!" Brock exclaimed happily as he rushed off towards the springs. The others followed up soon after and saw Brock press a button inside the jaws of a Gyarados statue. After doing so, the entrance to the gym opened making them blink.

"I wonder what I would've done without Brock," Ash whispered to himself but Caitlin heard it as she was right next to him.

"Probably starve? He's the one that can cook our food the best, even if yours is the healthiest."

"True. I'm glad you two are with me," Ash's smile was so serene and sincere that Caitlin couldn't help but blush and turn away. Heck, anyone would after seeing such a smile.

"What are you two waiting for?" The two turned to Brock, blinking a few times as he looked at them with a confused expression. "Didn't you want to finish that battle, Ash? You also mentioned that Lance's Dragonite will come here to pick up the diaries."

"Ah, right! Coming!" Ash and Caitlin - Gallade in that case - ran up to Brock. Behind them, they did not notice a grinning Blaine.

"Hahaha. This'll be a fun battle, this kid isn't weak at all if he knows Lance… I should up the challenge a bit. Especially if he defeated those tough Muk and entered the lab." Chuckling to himself, the old man began to walk to the elevator, seeing how they had to walk up stairs.

The benefits of being a Gym Leader instead of a Trainer is amazing. No walking needed for their battles. It did his old bones very good.

* * *

"Heh, it seems you've made it kid. We lost you after the mansion event but we heard that they were surprised at seeing a bunch of strong Muk being captured. That must've been you," Blaine began as they stood in their respective fields. No small chats, nothing before the battle to give a hint to each other's skill.

"Yes. We fell down as one of the Muk tried to use Explosion, making us drop down into an abandoned lab. It's being dealt with at the moment," Ash gave the older man a nod before he looked at Pikachu. Pikachu, in turn, looked at Ash and grinned before jumping onto the field.

"Hoho… So determined. I'm surprised you fell down in such a place, but now is not the time to chat. Let the battle begin," Blaine grinned as he grabbed a Pokéball as well.

" **Let the battle between Blaine of Cinnabar Island and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town begin! This will be a four on four battle and only the challenger is allowed to switch!** "

"I won't make it easy kid. Come on, Rhydon!" Blaine threw his Pokéball into the air and out of it came a behemoth.

Large, grey armor-like hide was on its entire body. A massive drilling horn was atop of his head, bipedal and standing like how it was meant to be - a statue of a monster. One look said that this Pokémon is meant to protect, to defend. A defensive Pokémon that can be very volatile, seeing the large grey tail behind its being.

Truly, a horrible opponent for him. Pikachu especially, was in the disadvantage here… but.

 _When did that ever stop him?_

For one of the few times, Ash gained an excited grin. Perhaps it was because of the meditation, perhaps because he was finally loosening up after all those traumatic events but he felt like he could enjoy things again. A shame such an emotion can be fragile. Either way...

This battle will be great. No matter, he will _win_!

"Pikachu, I'll guide you through it. This one's tough!"

" _Got ya Ash! Bring it on, Rhydon!_ " Pikachu's cheeks sparked dangerously. They both knew of it though, that Rhydon is exceedingly dangerous. Its horn can attract electricity and its very typing is Rock and Ground. This was such a disadvantage, but that…

Is only in the eyes of those who seek statistics. Those who do not improvise.

"Pikachu, use Agility and gain speed. Charge an Iron Tail to defend yourself in case he attacks!"

A long order, but a clear one. This one is to gain speed, mobility needed against the behemoth of a Pokémon. The Rhydon roared as Blaine ordered it to use Rock Tomb.

Countless rocks fell down from wherever, created perhaps by the energy of the Rhydon, and they all targeted the Pikachu to limit his movements. But when did that stop them? Gaining speed, the Pikachu jumped straight into the rock and pushed himself off of them, gradually gaining height instead of being blocked.

Blaine blinked a few times at the extraordinary movement of a Pikachu, using the rocks like that. It was very unique, as these kind of attacks often are too fast. But this Pikachu's speed was incredible, most likely focused on gaining it with speed.

"Front flips to gain more speed, straight forward. Iron Tail and Slam combo," Ash ordered as Pikachu let out a battle cry. Throwing his weight forward, the Pikachu became a spinning orb of steel and energy. The Rhydon is obviously too slow to block it, but Blaine was prepared.

"Smack Down and Rock Blast!" Blaine shouted out in worry. That is one powerful combo and he was sure that it would damage Rhydon greatly. Ash wasn't worried though, no, this was a great combination for both defense and offense.

Rocks flew from the sky attempting to down the Pikachu, but the spinning Electric Mouse Pokémon was too much for them. Rocks were cut apart, blasted away from the extra energy of Slam and then the Rock Blasts only weakened the extremely powerful blow slightly.

Cutting through the rocks that were fired straight at him, Pikachu finally got in front of the Rhydon. Dizziness was there, but he experienced it enough. Combining both Iron Tail and Slam was a great combination, one Pikachu loved to use recently as they focused on creating new moves. Ash usually calls it 'Iron Slam' but that sounds silly to some. No matter, it is time for battle.

No need for thoughts. Ash would guide him. Only follow your instincts.

Slamming the iron mass that his tail became, the Pikachu instantly hit the Rhydon downwards and he _knew_ that it must've hurt seeing the drill gain a small crack. Those things could regrow and/or heal on their own later so there was no worry.

"Brick Break on his back then get away before he uses his tail!" Ash was sharp as the Rhydon's massive tail was moving around wildly in order to hit it away while it was downed in an attempt to defend itself.

Pikachu slammed a glowing white fist into the back of the Rhydon's head, making the drill of its head stuck in the ground. Now long afterwards, Pikachu had to jump upwards in order to avoid a tail hitting him and he returned to the front of his trainer.

"Good job! Now, Rain Dance!"

Rain began to fall in the open volcano. It wasn't anything bad at all, seeing how the rain will just be evaporated but it did its task right now. Pikachu knew what Ash was thinking and grinned in excitement. Blaine must've noticed the grin as he became more serious.

"Rhydon. Dig through the ground and seek the target. Hit it with Megahorn afterwards," Blaine ordered a specific combination as well and Pikachu knew that it would be trouble… But did that matter?

"Nasty Plot and gather strength. Stick your tail into the ground to confirm if he's coming near you and dodge when he gets out."

Pikachu followed the orders as Dark energy was surrounding him, his tail sticking into the ground. Nasty Plot was indeed very useful for Pikachu as it helped him calm down for one, and gain more strength as well. The Pikachu remained silent - the entire battlefield was.

Until it happened.

Rhydon roared as he came from the underground, right behind the Pikachu. A typical move, to get behind the Pokémon, but Pikachu was prepared. Using his tail, Pikachu jumped upwards and backflipped over the Rhyhorn with a mischievous grin following. Nasty Plot was useful for his long range attacks and Ash taught him one in the very beginning.

"Hidden Power."

A move that many seem to ignore, but Pikachu absolutely loved it when fighting flying or rock types. He didn't use it often, it's more of a trump card seeing how he can handle weaker rock types but this Rhydon is tough. _Ice_ energy gathered in a giant orb, boosted by the Nasty Plot, and Pikachu fired it at the Rhyhorn that tried to twist its body to hit him with an instinctive Hammer Arm.

A shame, because Hidden Power was much faster and it blasted the Rhydon away from him.

The Rhydon roared in pain as it was blasted away. Its heavy weight slamming down in front of Blaine who kept calm. "Rhydon. Uproar." Rhydon nodded as he swiftly got up before rushing towards Pikachu. A voice, so loud, even Ash and the others complained as their ears hurt.

The Rhydon roared so loud as energy blasted through the sound, hitting the Pikachu away for a large distance. The damage was manageable, but it was surprisingly strong. Then again, Pikachu also has a weaker defense compared to other species and Ash knew he had to finish it before the Rhydon could reuse Uproar.

Uproar, after all, cannot be stopped until it has been used for a while. A shame one needs to get the right amount of air in his or her lungs to reuse it and the Rhydon was breathing heavily. It seems the damage was quite effective.

"Aqua Tail with Slam," Ash smiled as Pikachu let out a final battle cry. The rain was gathered around his tail and formed a large tail made of water and Pikachu jumped upwards before making a front flip, using that to add extra damage thanks to Slam. The finishing move did its trick as not five seconds after, Rhydon was knocked out.

Blaine watched in amazement at the sight of a Pikachu defeating his Rhydon. It was a Pokémon that should have easily bat away an electric type, but Ash had not even hesitated when he attempted to use his Electric-type Pokémon. Pikachu used his physical body and tricks to win.

Smiling eagerly, Blaine let out a barking laugh. "HAHAHA! This is great, Ash! You're a really good trainer to make your Pikachu this strong! Let it be known that I have yet to see such a powerful Pikachu. Not even Volkner, one of the strongest electric type trainers has such a Pikachu! Alright, I'm ready to bring you down though! I won't give my badge to a child that isn't ready! Ninetales!" _He neglected to mention that Volkner did have an extremely powerful Raichu but he assumed that the Pikachu would've been capable of beating Raichu if Ash follows the traditional region challenges from Kanto towards Kalos._

The same Ninetales they saw at the inn appeared. Old, powerful and certainly majestic. It was definitely older than Blaine himself as they could see its intelligence through its eyes.

Ash did not need to say anything as he called out for Pikachu to return. He needed his Greninja for this, that should give him some chance seeing how Ninetales often do not fight physically. An up close battle should win this round as he grabbed Hermit's Cherish Ball. "Hermit, your turn!"

His Kalos starter instantly became alert, having watched the battle through Ash's necklace. The Pokémon knew this Ninetales was powerful, but just _how_ powerful?

A red gem was around the Ninetales' neck. Ash had to check twice before wincing. "Fire Gem?"

"Oh? Someone actually knows… Indeed, it is a Fire Gem. I wonder what move it will enhance? But first, Ninetales, dear, clear up the skies." Blaine chuckled as he watched Ash wrecking his brain. That was indeed the problem he was having. After all, Ninetales with Drought and Fire Gem meant extreme _fire_ power.

Ninetales cried out to the skies, yellow energy rising from its body as the skies instantly cleared up and what came with it could be called a heat wave. Sunlight, so bright that Ash and Hermit flinched but Blaine just grinned with his shade-like glasses on.

"Hermit, we're at a serious disadvantage. Keep using Protean and get close with Power-Up Punch." Hermit nodded and rushed off with great speed. It actually impressed Blaine to see such a fast Pokémon and Ash made a great capture with a Protean Greninja. Nodding towards the Ninetales, he let the elder Pokémon do as it wished.

After all, Ninetales is much more intelligent than himself. Even if he knows more about human technology and the likes, his Ninetales has an abundant amount of combat experience with its old age despite being in such a healthy, young body.

The Ninetales in question didn't use a fire type move yet. Seeing Greninja come in, the fox waited to see what kind of damage the Greninja could do in order to predict future moves. Using a single tail and charging it with Iron Tail - something that requires great control for a Ninetales. Even Brock's Ninetales is special for being capable of doing so - the attack hit the Greninja's Power-Up Punch head on.

Struggling for power, the Greninja growled and gained the boost of the Power-Up Punch. Seeing the need to follow up, Hermit swiftly lowered his body now that he is close and used a Low Kick that surprised the Ninetales. The Ninetales definitely felt _that_ hit against an unguarded leg and jumped away to gain some space but Hermit wasn't having any of it.

Rushing closer, the Greninja showed a relentless battle style that wouldn't give in easily. A great tactic to get a Pokémon in an uncomfortable position, but would that be sufficient against Ninetales? Nay.

Ninetales' eyes glowed brightly and as Greninja was a Fighting type, the Pokémon instantly felt it and cried out in pain. Its head hurting greatly thanks to the Confusion and if it weren't for Ash's cry to use Dark Pulse, a Psychic would've followed. The Dark Pulse went straight towards the Ninetales that was surprised at the swift action despite feeling a full powered confusion.

Now that's a very close bond. The Ninetales gained a bit more respect for both Pokémon and trainer facing itself.

Charging green energy in its jaws, the Ninetales lifted its head upwards to gain more solar energy. Ash, seeing that, couldn't help but widen his eyes. Solarbeam can be charged nearly instantly and to charge during such a bright sunlight…

"Hermit! Double Team and Quick Attack to get away!" The Ninja Pokémon didn't even think twice of disobeying, moving away from the Ninetales before using Double Team to copy itself and Quick Attack to run around in unpredictable manoeuvres.

Now it's a great idea to do so, but an old Ninetales is an extremely capable Fire-type that is able to use psychic energy. Using that specific energy, the Ninetales found its target and blasted a gigantic beam of green solar energy towards the Greninja that couldn't help but flinch at the sight of the power.

Ash, however, knew that his Greninja had moves to at least lower the damage. "Protect!" A green barrier was instantly around the Greninja and it blocked the Solarbeam but a few seconds later it broke apart - weakening the solar beam to manageable level though. The Greninja cried out in pain but was inwardly praying to Arceus for the Protean ability because if he were a water type, that Solarbeam would've been enough to knock him out.

Seeing the trouble, Ash's eyes narrowed. Rain dance is useless in this scenario as the Drought ability of Ninetales could be used again. If the signs of the usage of Drought were anything to go by, that is quite a troublesome ability. Seeing the need to at least damage the Ninetales more, Ash grinned.

"Hermit! We're not giving up easily, even if we lose! Get close with Aqua Jet and use Double Team to confuse it! Disable Protean until you're close enough!"

Blaine blinked a few times. _Disable Protean?_ Now that's a new trick in the list of things he's seen. The Greninja nodded and temporarily disabled his hidden ability, rushing forward with Aqua Jet. This seemed to surprise the Ninetales as well before it charged an Energy Ball, firing it straight at the Greninja but Hermit had enough dodging practice.

It comes with fighting against a Pikachu that has a borderline Extremespeed level of a Quick Attack.

Coming close, the Greninja enabled Protean again and before any psychic moves could be used the Kalos starter moved as fast as it could, pushing its body to its limit just like how it's supposed to be with a proper Close Combat. Punch, kick, trip, knee, elbow. Combination moves were fired straight at the Ninetales from closeby now that it couldn't get away as the Close Combat evolved into a myriad of fighting type moves. Karate Chop, Low Kick and after finishing, Circle Throw to get the Ninetales away. It did decent damage as the Ninetales' leg was hurting even more now. Hermit made sure to target that one leg.

Blaine knew that this wasn't the time to mess around. "Overheat." He wouldn't let Ninetales deny that move any longer. That Pokémon could defeat Ninetales if it went on.

Ninetales let out a cry before the Fire Gem disappeared and the sun boosted its fire type energy. The red glow around the Ninetales did nothing to help Ash's panic as he called out for his Greninja to use Protect.

Alas, what came next was forever burned in Ash's mind just like how he lost against Hitmonlee.

An attack, so powerful it was near a Blast Burn. The Fire Gem, the sunlight and the natural power of a Ninetales combined in one firing a massive ray of flames compressed in a single beam-like attack. The attack started small before it expanded and soon engulfed half of the arena at the end, hitting the Greninja with it and a part of the Volcano was burnt off and turned into magma.

Now _that_ is firepower. Ash flinched as he saw his Greninja hurt badly and instantly rushed off. He didn't care if Blaine saw him use his abilities but right now he forced multiple Heal Pulses with his aura to at least treat him so it won't be a critical condition.

That Ninetales had power. Far more power than Ash would've thought. He thought Blaine would've preferred a Fire Blast or something akin to that level, but an _Overheat_ was way too much.

After seeing that the dangerous parts were gone, Ash quickly returned his Greninja and put the Cherish Ball in stasis mode so the wounds can get healed later. The Pokémon might not like it when he wakes up a bit more stiff, but it's a must.

"Ho? You can heal Pokémon?" Blaine asked as he tilted his head in intrigue. A human healing a Pokémon?

Ash flinched before staring at Blaine. He would've liked the man, the challenge was real but he definitely hit the wrong button by doing such an overkill move on his Greninja. Hitmonlee back in Saffron at least held back a bit and Ash grabbed a Cherish Ball. One of his strongest to be precise.

"Less talking. You've made me a little ticked off," though his voice hinted to far more than that. His Pokémon inside of his Cherish Balls raged at the sight of Hermit being critically wounded like that. It was a part of being a trainer, but the Leader could've finished it off with a Fire Blast instead of an Overheat and the Greninja would've still been down for the count. Ash knew that, so should Blaine.

"Hee… I wonder if you can," Blaine grinned challengingly. He got to his opponent, now let's see how he'll do against an angry Ash. Maybe this'll make him win? Controlling an opposing trainer through emotions is a great, if not slightly dirty, strategy after all.

"Falcon. Time to get back at him," Ash began as his eyes glowed blue. Not red, no, this wasn't out of pure rage. He felt calm, far calmer than he thought. Perhaps it's a state of cold rage? Ash had no idea, but he wanted to get payback for this.

Out of the Cherish Ball came a shiny, titanic Talonflame that instantly screeched and blew away dust from the field before using its wings to get up in the sky. The Pokémon's eyes were fierce, ready to completely demolish its opponent. Both Blaine and Ninetales took a moment to gulp at the sight of such an angry beast. That was … scary. Blaine might've bitten off more than he could chew.

"Brave Bird, twister version," Ash ordered and Falcon instantly obeyed. A blue-white glow surrounded the Pokémon as pure flying type energy transformed the titanic Talonflame in a ray of energy itself before the bird rushed off towards the Ninetales. Twisting its body, it soon became a twister of flying type energy that went straight towards the Ninetales that took the obvious choice to run off and attempt to dodge.

Alas, whilst a huge Pokémon has the disadvantage of dodging certain moves, they also have larger reach. This was what Blaine just saw and he felt the sweet irony of gaining an overkill move as the twister hit the powerful Ninetales. It didn't stop with a hit though, the Talonflame then took the Ninetales into the sky with the twister continuously damaging the Ninetales before ending the attack and using a massive wing to slam it downwards.

That is the face of no mercy. Blaine is just lucky that his Ninetales is powerful or it might've ended in a critical condition, but both the Talonflame and Ash did not like doing that to a Pokémon when it's the trainer ordering the moves.

Blaine could only stare slackjawed. The _speed_ , the _power_ and the sheer _ferocity_ of that Talonflame was just plain scary. In raw power, he doubted even his Magmar could win easily. The Talonflame was a natural King of its species.

That didn't mean he'd give up. No, he knew he had to weaken that Talonflame before Magmar could take it out.

"Return Ninetales, come out, Rapidash!" Blaine called out one of his stronger fire types yet again. A beautiful horse with a long horn atop of its head. Instead of a normal mane, it was made of beautiful and fierce red flames. A hoof slammed down on the ground in preparation, ready to battle.

The Rapidash showed no fear. Falcon would have to fix that.

Still in its prime as the Ninetales had no chance against such a powerful move, the Talonflame only suffered some damage for forcing its body beyond its limit with Brave Bird. It was nothing too hard and the Talonflame's eyes looked fierce again.

"Swords Dance. Two times," Ash began as the Talonflame began to fly in air in a specific dance. It was fierce and it also made it harder for the Rapidash to it it as Blaine called out to use Flamethrower while he had the chance. The flames missed despite the size of the Talonflame and Ash thanked whoever made it up that they're atop of a volcano instead of an inside area.

After Ash could see the Talonflame finished strengthening its body with the use of Swords Dance, he called out for the next move. "Tailwind. Get ready for a speed boost," Ash began as the Talonflame let out a massive cry as winds began to pick up. The fierce wind, not unlike a gust, made even the Rapidash uncomfortable and Blaine had to stare at the power of the Royal species. This was why they were feared amongst others and this Talonflame was one of the larger kind.

He wouldn't want to be an enemy of that Talonflame when it's older and far stronger. He knew that he could win with Magmar but that didn't stop him from thinking of the future.

A shudder went down his spine as he couldn't even imagine battling it then. Ash would be a scary trainer in the future.

Seeing the need to win, Blaine prepared himself for the next action. It seems that Ash still had that cold fury in him because Ash was ready to win. Blaine wouldn't give that badge so easily… _Wait, that's it!_

"Falcon! Finish it with Giga Impact!" Ash shouted out to his Talonflame that was high up in the sky. Letting out another screech, the Talonflame was surrounded by bright energy and soon raced downwards with fearsome speed and even more power.

"Horn Drill!" Blaine shouted out. Ash's eyes widened at that - a Rapidash that knew Horn Drill?! That's a tad-

The horn began to glow a fierce white and formed into a drill like shape. A one-hit KO move that could finish off most Pokémon as the attack not only damaged but also depleted another's energy. But Falcon wasn't a royal species for nothing and just like legendaries, it wouldn't finish him.

Not that Ash knew that.

The Horn Drill and Giga Impact collided and rubble flew straight up into the air and magma rushed up every now and then. Two powerful moves hit each other and the Horn Drill definitely hurt the Talonflame, but in return a powered up Giga Impact would do so much more. They could hear another screech before another explosion followed and dust rose up.

Ash didn't see his Talonflame fly up so he was definitely worried. Did he lose with Horn Drill? He sure hoped that it wouldn't be anything too damaging for the giant Talonflame.

When the dust cleared, Ash could see that there was an out of breath Talonflame standing on its claws, letting out weak cries. The Horn Drill definitely damaged it greatly, but it still stood and that said more than most. The Rapidash in question was blasted into the ground with its large horn cracked and the flames weak.

It seems that Falcon showed yet again that he was more powerful than expected with its Royal Species genetics. Ash knew, however, that he couldn't win against the next one with Talonflame and just like Pikachu, he returned his Talonflame when Blaine returned his Rapidash.

He wouldn't let them get hurt after all. Calming down somewhat, Ash thought about other strategies.

Let out his Aurorus? The Ice type would definitely be a horrible solution in this case. Meowth? No, Meowth might be stronger now but against Blaine's last Pokémon it'll be a very serious problem. Sylveon is out of the question… that left…

"Trickster!" Ash called out and instead of using the ball, he used aura to open the ball. Just like called, a Gengar stood there with red markings all around its body, green slitted eyes staring at Blaine with an unnerving grin on its face.

" _Gar…_ " the Gengar lowly let out a sound and Ash could hear it clearly. " _Payback time…_ "

It seems that his Pokémon became closer to one another, more than he thought. That might be because the Gengar loved the odd close combat battles as well. Then again, Trickster was a master at what its name hinted at; tricking others.

That doesn't mean that the former Zoroark doesn't like the odd brawl. It's a male. _Men love brawling_. It's in their blood.

' _They must've bonded with each other through fists,_ ' Ash mused in his thoughts with a small smile of amusement.

Blaine smirked a bit. "You've done well kid, but can you win against my strongest Pokémon as of yet? I might not be allowed to use my real team, but this Magmar is at the League level. Good luck. MAGMAR!" Blaine shouted out as the volcano rumbled.

A cry was heard as a huge blob of magma jumped upwards towards the area. The Magmar was huge, being 2.3M instead of their average 1.3M. That meant that this Magmar was old and powerful. Scars lingered around its body as the magma dropped off and cooled on the rocks, revealing a body covered by flames.

Ash really thought that the Pokémon's head looked like someone's behind, but he wouldn't mention that. That's for a private talk with his Pokémon afterwards.

Seeing his Gengar laugh, their thoughts must be alike as they looked at each other with their bond showing each other's amusement.

Good thing that the Magmar didn't understand the reason or else Ash might have to face a raging Magmar.

" _Let me do this on my own, Ash,_ " Trickster began as he turned around with an eager grin. " _It's been awhile since I've faced such a strong opponent._ "

Ash looked at his Gengar for a good amount of seconds before letting out a resigned sigh. "Sure, sure. Be sure to get revenge for the critical condition Hermit was in."

" _Will do!_ " Trickster cackled as ghostly energy surrounded him, ready to battle. Magmar, just like the Gengar began to collect his fire energy, getting ready for battle.

"Magmar! Start off with Fire Punch!" Like a rocket, Magmar pushed off of the ground which resulted in some cracks as the Spitfire Pokémon rushed towards a Gengar that already prepared a Shadow Punch with equal power.

Both punches collided. Red and purple began to fly around the area as the two Pokémon sought to win before Trickster used one of the usual tricks. Using his illusion abilities, Trickster made the Magmar think that he was losing and gave him false hope. Seeing that the Magmar was tricked quite easily, Trickster could assume that it rarely ever got in combat with ghost types as Blaine would most likely be challenged by Rock, Ground and Water.

Bending his body low, Trickster hit the leg of Magmar to trip it and then followed up with a Shadow Ball to launch it off. Magmar, in turn, used Iron Tail to bat away the Shadow Ball before it managed to explode and hit the Gengar straight on with a Fire Punch.

Trickster flew back from the sheer power of the Fire Punch but then used his ghostly illusions to create multiple versions of himself. All of them turned towards the Magmar and the Gengar's grin became far too eager than it should be. Using his former life's, Zoroark's ability, Trickster began to charge Shadow Ball with all of his duplicates. All of them fired at once as well, granting the Magmar no escape that now let a humongous flame burn all around him for defense.

Good instincts seeing how all Shadow Balls, even if weakened due to being a physical illusion, only managed to damage the Magmar a little with that extra defense.

Trickster, however, wasn't done. Using his former life's ability again, he transformed into a Zoroark and began using his claws to attack. Swipe after swipe, all charged with ghostly energy as the Magmar received a few swipes and they _hurt_ for the Magmar - which is a damn big surprise seeing how most Pokémon aren't even able to hurt him like that.

Then, Magmar's ability began to activate and the transformed Gengar got his arms burnt making the Ghost/Dark type flinch. Magmar capitalized on that and used Iron Tail followed up by a Fire Blast when Gengar was sent flying. Both attacks crashed head on, weakening the Gengar quite a bit.

Ash knew that Trickster might lose this round. Magmar was strong, far stronger than Blaine's other Pokémon with the sole exception being Ninetales due to the Fire Gem and the Drought ability - which finally ended a while ago. He completely forgot about that part… Something to keep track of during training. It seems he needs to get used to weather moves.

Trickster began to growl as the Magmar finally listened to Blaine's next command. "Psychic!"

Grinning with a far too eager expression to pay him back, Gengar rushed up close before glowing a fierce red. Ash could instantly see it as Night Daze but Blaine was surprised that Psychic didn't work - making him forget to command the Magmar if only for a split second.

A split second is enough for a battle hardened Pokémon like Gengar, who has knowledge of a former life. A life filled with war.

The red energy burst out, hitting the Magmar at point blank as the attack kept hitting Magmar until he got blasted out of reach. Now _that_ had done quite a lot of damage and the Magmar definitely showed some damage by standing much weaker than before. Then again, Ash knew that Trickster wouldn't let that fool him.

The one thing Ash then noticed was that his Gengar was already out of breath. _Ah… Burn._

A real pain to fight with, those status conditions.. Burnt Pokémon receive gradual damage that lowers their stamina and it also makes them physically weaker. It seems Magmar was definitely in the lead to win.

But Ash knew that his Gengar wasn't out of tricks yet. Far from it. The Gengar began grinning like a loon before the dirtiest trick in the book was used.

Opening his jaws, Blaine was immediately calling for a Fire Blast to silence the Gengar but it was already too late. Ghostly cries echoed throughout the entire volcano, the voices screaming _death_. While it won't as Perish Song has a limit, it was enough for the Magmar to lose seeing how the cries were going. Trickster just grinned as he endured the pain.

What is pain compared to the pride of defeating a stronger opponent? A battle isn't just a noble fight, it's a battle to _win_. A Pokémon should do _anything_ for their trainer to _win_. Trickster knew that and did so, making Ash smile a bit.

Dirty and effective, now that's a Ghost Pokémon's playstyle.

"Tsk! We'll just finish it as soon as possible. Magmar, fire blast again!" The Magmar recognized the threat and instantly fired it towards the grinning Gengar that now used illusions to disappear instead of simply multiplying itself.

Blaine grit his teeth. He wouldn't lose that easily, especially not against such a dirty trick! It's a great strategy, but he hated it when those great strategies go against him.

"Heat wave!" Magmar roared out as a large gust of heat came from the Magmar's body, going all around the area. Trickster appeared in front of the Magmar with a hurt look but then the grin turned even fiercer.

"Thunder punch!" But it seems that Trickster wasn't having any of it. A fist coated with dark energy slammed into the Magmar's face, sending it flying backwards. _Sucker Punch_ , Ash instantly recognized it and grinned a little. A great move to cut off an opponent alright.

Blaine took in a deep breath. Could he win? No, Ash still had Pikachu…

"Alright, I give up. No need to let Magmar get hurt more," Blaine grumbled as he took out a Pokéball to return his Magmar. This instantly broke the Perish Song's 'curse' and Ash did the same with Trickster before calling him out again and giving the Gengar a tight hug.

"Great job Trickster!"

" _No prob, Ash! I hoped I could win with a physical battle like that but it seems I have much training to do…_ "

Ash looked at his Gengar before giving a soft smile. "We've got a bunch of months left. If we look for the right area, we can train as hard as possible and you'll be as strong as a Machamp when we battle in the league."

Trickster grinned widely as he heard that. Now _that_ is an interesting offer.

On the sidelines, Caitlin and Brock remained silent throughout the battle. Caitlin easily noticed Ash's rage as she began focusing more on her psychic ability but it was strangely… calm? Cold? She was still a novice in this so she might be wrong, but either way, the red glow didn't appear.

Brock clapped in his hands for the magnificent battle. At first, Pikachu showed incredible strength to defeat a Rhydon. Then came the battle against a Ninetales that showed that preparations before a battle are important. A good lesson for Ash as he usually never hands out any special items. Then came Rapidash who could use Horn Drill in order to take him out, but Falcon revealed that he was much stronger than anticipated and then came the battle with the Magmar.

Brock had no comments on that. It was a good battle and Trickster actually showed a bit of sportsmanship - after all, could he not use Perish Song in the beginning?

Either way, Brock stood up and Caitlin followed soon after to congratulate their friend. Blaine already walked up to Ash with a TM, Flamethrower to be exact, in his hands and a Volcano Badge. Grinning widely, he took in Ash's happy smile.

"Well done, young man. You've beaten me despite the fact I've shown some real firepower. You have the power and you don't let it get through your head, although I'd advise you to prepare your Pokémon more. Perhaps some items that would be beneficial for their battles. The odd berry for some healing properties are also allowed, such as a Rawst Berry for a burn. One thing I approve of is how you acted when your Greninja had been badly wounded. You did not give into rage and kept calm, ordering moves that were quite devastating," Blaine began and Ash took it in. While he was mad that his Greninja was wounded so badly, he still won in the end and he'd make sure that Hermit had a fantastic meal to make it up to him for having such a great battle.

Plus it seems that it was done on purpose in order to anger Ash. Ash knew that this was a valuable lesson and that he lucked out by remaining calm. Though his heart was definitely on fire the moment he saw his Greninja hurt.

"Though you might not have done so on purpose, many trainers lose their cool the moment their Pokémon are wounded beyond the usual norm. Have no fear though, I have always had a nurse on standby and a full set of Full Restore and Max Revives in case something was wounded too much. Your quick treatment only made it necessary to go to the Pokémon Center afterwards," Blaine reasoned as he put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "You'll go far kid. Very far. Don't think about limits and keep going further. If you hit a wall, break through it. That's my final advice for you, not just as a trainer but also a person."

Ash nodded as he took in the advice. That was a life lesson by the elderly man after all and seeing the grim look on his face it must be because he made a mistake somehow.

Letting out a sigh, Blaine took out a purple ball with a large white M on it. "You've heard of Project M2?" Blaine began as Ash nodded. Gym leaders were privy to that information after all.

"I was threatened to help them out, they threatened the lives of all Cinnabar civilians. I couldn't let that happen so I had created Mewtwo together with Mr. Fuji. I regret it every single day, but I did prepare this ball for an emergency. Young man, if you meet Mewtwo and he proves to be too much, use this ball. It is called a Master Ball, a ball known to capture any Pokémon without failure," Blaine blinked a few times before grimacing.

"Most, at least. Weaker legendaries can be captured with these, but the stronger ones can still get out even if struggling. Mewtwo is very powerful. So much I question whether a Pokéball can contain that strength if he fights against it. Please take this for an emergency as I know you will meet Mewtwo someday. I can feel it just by being around you."

Ash nodded seriously. He took the Master Ball and swiftly hid it inside of his jacket. He couldn't wear such an important ball anywhere and it could be stolen from his back. This is the closest to his person.

Blaine gave a grim smile. "If you manage to capture Mewtwo, please tell it that I'm sorry for my actions. It might never forgive me, or humans in general, but I had to do it against my will."

Ash nodded again. That's all he could do in this case. A determined glint came in his eyes as he revealed a set of white teeth in his smile. "I'll be sure to capture Mewtwo. I'm going towards the Seafoam Islands first though - there is an Articuno resting there from what I know. If it's a young one, I can capture it."

Blaine stared at Ash with a deadpan expression. "While I can imagine it, at least be careful that its parents aren't there. You'll be a popsicle before you know it against an adult Articuno. Not even gym leaders or the elite four attempt such a thing and the last group of Team Rocket grunts all died somewhere in the cave for even thinking of it in the Seafoam Islands."

"That won't stop me," Ash started slowly as his eyes began to glow. Power within his red eyes was seen as he revealed a hungry grin. "I will capture Articuno, earn its respect and take another step closer to the title of Pokémon Master. Not just that, but Articuno would be a great help against let's say, Mewtwo."

Blaine agreed with this silently, "Alright then young man. I pray for your safety if you are going to attempt such a thing." Turning around, the old man began to walk to his living quarters to let his Pokémon recover. He turned his head just enough to look at Ash again and left some parting words. "Be sure to show no mercy when battling a legend. One on one is a foolish idea, even Lance would lose against a young legendary unless he uses one of his strongest dragons."

"I know. I've battled a Mew already," with that parting shot, Ash left and heard the sounds of choking which made him smile. He probably felt a bit more vindictive than he thought because it made him happy to hear that he gave the old man such a shock.

Serves him right.

"Let's go to the Pokémon Center," Ash offered as his two companions agreed with smiles. It seems their next destination is set before they train for the league.

What they never saw was that an orange dragon was recording it all live for Lance to see. The Dragonite was there to pick up the information and to let Lance see the battle and the man in question was watching it in his seat. The champion felt a little dead inside.

' _Knowing Ash, he'll befriend that Articuno in no time. It's so unfair. It also makes me wonder how long it'll take him to beat an elite four member… I suddenly feel old if such a young man can do it,_ ' the champion of the Kanto and Johto region couldn't help but think so.

' _Eh… At least I'd get a challenger. It's boring when you're at the top. Hopefully he'll be able to stand it when he gets to this level, heh._ '

At least he'll get to see an Articuno up close because no doubt that Ash will go to Pallet Town after capturing Articuno. It gives him a good excuse to escape paperwork too.

 _Damn paperwork._

With that line of thought, many heads shot up. Every single leader in every single universe couldn't help but feel that a new brother had thoughts like them. ' _Damn paperwork._ ' They also pitied the poor soul that was thinking about it the first time.

 _In another universe, it could be said differently. A blonde man with whiskered cheeks was cackling madly, as his_ clones _were doing it for him._

* * *

It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the Pokémon Center and grab a meal before they intend to leave for their next destination. A meal and snacks, in Ash's case.

"So, it's time for the Seafoam Islands… I take it you know which one?" Brock asked Ash, who in turn nodded.

"I can pretty much 'sense' aura. Not perfectly, mind you, as an expert can _see_ the aura alongside the figure of what it is so I know which entrance is the best one. After all, Articuno is a legendary and legendaries have tons of aura."

"I can't deny that statement," Caitlin agreed with a small smile. She even called her Entei when they arrived at the Pokémon Center and the legendary agreed that it was best to take him and Gothitelle. This left Espeon at her ranch in favor for protection with the stronger Pokémon.

Brock just shook his head in amusement. "I still think you're crazy, going after a legendary. You're still 12 years old, how do you intend to face a legendary?"

"Head on," was the sharp, no-nonsense reply from Ash. He was serious about this.

Caitlin giggled, "I wonder what you will do if Articuno is not there."

"I will wear a pink cap for the entirety of the League Championship."

Ash took a risk there. A very embarrassing risk.

Caitlin agreed alongside a grinning Brock. After all, there was no counter to that if he were to win, then again, he was certain he would.

Then again, his luck works in his favor… But those weren't his thoughts.

Thank Arceus that he didn't just jinx himself.

" _Draaaaaaaa!_ ` A loud cry came from the outside, making the group turn their heads to see a large Dragonite staring at them through the window. Ash, recognizing the Dragonite just waved and quickly finished the doughnut in his hands before grabbing a new one from the table and he walked outside with the other two following behind.

"Hey Dragonite! I see Lance sent you, not your sister," Ash smiled as the Dragonite waved at the group before Ash held out a doughnut which the Dragonite happily took and ate.

"So this is a champion's Pokémon," Caitlin commented as she looked at the Dragonite. Yes, she had some time to see Lance's Pokémon before but not one of his main dragons. She could practically _feel_ the power brimming inside of that Dragonite, proving that the fact it is a pseudo-legendary in not just rarity but also power.

Brock just watched the group act and in the meanwhile, Ash searched for the diaries in his bag. Brock thought of a few options before asking something that Ash must've forgotten. "Dragonite, would you mind taking us to the Seafoam Islands? More specifically, the nest of Articuno's entrance?" Brock asked the now surprised Dragonite.

The dragon had to think about that. Lance said that he could take his time and a trip to the Seafoam Islands is always nice. The nice weather there was always nice and sunbathing did sound tempting. He only had to bring them to the cold cave…

" _Dra._ " The dragon nodded in acceptance and Ash handed over the diaries, which the Dragonite put in a bag that was hanging at his side.

"So you're going to bring us there? That'll definitely be faster than Falcon," Ash nodded. A Dragonite can fly around the globe in 24 hours, the trip to the Seafoam Islands can be considered nothing to that.

So, maybe, 20 minutes?

Caitlin simply shrugged. She didn't mind if it's a Dragonite or a huge Talonflame, both are pretty fast. They did take a luxury trip to Cinnabar Island which took two entire weeks. Some catching up would fit in their agenda and Ash wanted to try to capture an Articuno, so that was fine too.

"Do we have everything packed though?" Ash asked his companions. He still had Pokémon food worth a good week. Brock nodded as he too, had enough. Actually, in his case it is for an entire month but that is survival food. Caitlin gave a nonchalant nod as she had enough for her Pokémon.

"Wait." Caitlin now gained a serious look. "Thick clothes. That place will no doubt be _cold_."

Brock and Ash looked at each other before looking at Caitlin. "A bit of cold won't stop us, but sure. I suppose it won't hurt. Do you mind waiting a bit, Dragonite?" Ash asked the dragon standing next to them.

Dragonite shook his head before pointing at his mouth. " _I would like some food for the wait though._ "

Ash scratched the side of his head.

"Fine, I'll buy you some snacks." The large dragon nodded happily as he walks towards the entrance of the Pokémon Center to lean against the wall, no doubt in order to wait for them.

Ash let out a small yawn. "Let's get going then. The shops will close if we wait too long."

""Alright,"" his companions agreed easily, walking with him.

Ash neglected to mention that he had a special coat from his mother. Actually, he completely forgot about it and will most likely reflect later on that he wasted money.

* * *

It took about an hour before they were ready. Most of the time was spent on Caitlin as she wanted something cute to keep hold of unlike Ash and Brock's practical winter coats with dyed Arcanine fur to keep them warm. Both of them had black coats and each bought a scarf, gloves and special boots to go against the cold.

Might as well prepare, right?

Caitlin did the same albeit taking a bit longer. She had a special request and it was speed dyed in a light lavender, making her have a similar coat to them but in her preferred coloring. The same items were bought and Brock, the ever so smart man, decided to buy some equipment while Caitlin took her time.

That means special heating bags in case things go wrong, multiple ropes, special Pokémon food to heat them up despite being in a cave (meaning a generous amount of Tomato berries) and a bunch of chocolate bars for if they actually have to hike.

They also bought a large bag of snacks for Dragonite to make up for the wait. Special Pokémon snacks and the odd human snack such as an extra large chocolate bar.

As they walked towards the waiting Dragonite, Brock couldn't help but voice a question, "Ash… What are your plans for the League battles? I can imagine you'll train, but how and where?"

Caitlin suddenly looked more interested as well. She was wondering where and how, and if he'll involve them.

"Hmm," Ash put a hand to his chin before grinning. "I was thinking of going towards the edge of Mt. Silver. Falcon can fly me there and you guys if you want to tag along. A good amount of time there will be very precious experience in not just physical and special training, but also experience against strong wild Pokémon. I have no doubt there are dangerous Pokémon in Mt. Silver so I won't get too close to it."

Brock's face gained a slight frown. That was a dangerous idea, but brilliant at the same time as that was indeed a very good idea. Perhaps it's best if he tags along instead of going home until he gets to the league. "Alright. I'll tag along though, I can't in good conscience leave you alone there."

Caitlin smiled softly. "Neither will I leave you, Ash. Besides, I might just find a few tough trainers to battle. Gardevoir, Gallade and the others might enjoy the harder battles compared to the easy ones we've had so far in Kanto."

Ash gained a childish pout, "Sorry for being a trainer for half a year when I battled you."

Caitlin and Brock laughed in amusement.

* * *

"Sorry, Dragonite. It took longer than expected," Ash smiled at the Dragonite that was currently swatting away a bunch of Raticate that some children sent after it so they could attempt to capture the pseudo-legendary. It must've been too attractive and they must've watched it for a while now.

" _'Tis nothing but these children are annoying and stubborn. I swear, they just send Raticate after Raticate, recover at Joy's and then do it again thinking they'll weaken me enough eventually."_

Ash snickered before telling the other two, making the three of them laugh. It must suck to be a rare Pokémon.

" _Meh. Hope you brought enough snacks,_ " the Dragonite dismissed the laugh as he understood why and held out a large clawed paw for snacks. Ash nodded and handed over a bag that the Dragonite peeked into. It took a few seconds, but it eventually nodded in acceptance. " _Accepted. Let's go flying then._ "

What came next would be a terror for Brock and Caitlin, but nostalgia for Ash. The older teens were carried in the arms of the Dragonite while Ash hung onto the neck just like how he did with Oak's Dragonite. Ah, the memories.

Oh, and the speed. Let's not forget that thrilling, sound barrier breaking speed. Bless you, Dragonite, for knowing how to protect trainers while flying at high speeds so they barely notice it. They still feel their stomachs lurch though… no doubt why Brock and Caitlin regretted ever going on a ride with a Dragonite with no preparations done, ever.

Ash only had a few things going through his mind, but it summed up nicely.

' _Watch out, Seafoam Islands. I'm going on a legendary hunt._ '

* * *

 **So that's it for today's chapter! Here's a few things I need to mention.**

 **The fact that Mewtwo has escaped means that he needs time to build that place. I mean, really, how the heck did Mewtwo do it elseway? He needs time for the vitamins, the drugs, the enhancements, the materials and the manipulation to get it towards the hideout AKA former Team Rocket island near the Orange Island Archipelago.**

 **Next comes the fact Ash is targeting a legendary. Many think of it as aiming too high, but this is Ash we're talking about. He's had a legit win against a Mew, even if it was six against one. I doubt that Ash will do so again and there'll be a great one on one against a young Articuno to show who is stronger. It's also to earn respect of the legendary. I mean, a disobeying legendary just screams 'please target me to steal my Pokémon because the legendary in question refuses everything I say'. Not just that, but with one on ones the Articuno will gain a healthy rivalry making it want to get stronger instead of lazing around like normal legendaries.**

 **I mean, what legendary trains? Seriously? I've never seen a training, wild Legendary other than Keldeo. They all run on their special high abilities. The odd one will train in my story or else it's just plain stupid.**

 **Will Ash capture an Articuno? I don't know - this is for next chapter. I'm telling you guys now in order to prevent any outrages, haha.**

 **As for the Elekid line thoughts of Ash… Yes, I intend to let him eventually capture an _Elekid_ to train him for _Teleport_. Imagine a teleporting, thunder punching Electivire. I vote 'YES PLEASE'.**

 **Now, the lab. I'll be honest, it's a new way of doing it so I went with it. It sounded promising in my eyes and it gives Ash an actual insight of Mewtwo. Perhaps he'll capture Mewtwo, perhaps he'll befriend Mewtwo. Blaine even gave him a Master Ball as a last resort.**

 **A freakin' Master Ball, to a trainer. That's saying a lot seeing how Master Balls are extremely, _extremely_ rare in my story. I will, at most, have 10 throughout the entire story. **

**Now I hope to have time to actually write chapters again. As for some requests/reviews, see below!**

 **As per request, I've added a list of Pokémon for each trainer. The gender and estimated level by the Pokédex will be revealed, but we all know not to listen to that.**

 **Moves will not be shown. The reasoning behind that is simple: Too many to write. Why spend so much time when it's obvious which moves are being learnt and which are not? The off-screen training also trains a new move every now and then, albeit they won't be mastered easily. Perhaps I'll write down _mastered_ moves.**

 **Again, let it be known that levels do not matter. This is done by estimated levels of experience and not the strength of a _trained_ Pokémon. **

**_Ash 'Red' Ketchum's Pokémon Team_**

Pikachu - Pikachu (M)  
Special qualities: Blue eyes, longer tail and the 'Blessing of the Ocean' aka capable of using certain Water-type moves.  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 57

Falcon - Talonflame (M)  
Special qualities: Shiny, Royal Species  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 53

Meowth - Meowth (M)  
Special qualities: Human speech, bipedal  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 45

Hermit - Greninja (M)  
Special qualities: Close Combat Fanatic  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 48

Glacia - Aurorus (F)  
Special qualities: Shiny, Larger than average Pokédex recordings  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 54

Trickster - Gengar (M)  
Special qualities: Red markings, Green slitted eyes, Ghost/Dark type, Telepathy and knowledge of a former life  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 57

Valencia - Sylveon (F)  
Special qualities: None  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 38

 ** _Brock Slate's Pokémon Team ( His last name is Slate in this story. )_**

Golem - Golem (M)  
Special qualities: None  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 46

Steelix - Steelix (M)  
Special qualities: Tougher defense due to focused training on defense as an Onix.  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 59

Tyranitar - Tyranitar (M)  
Special qualities: Exceptionally calm despite having a lust for battle like most male Tyranitar.  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 58

Ninetales - Ninetales (F)  
Special qualities: None  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 44

Roserade - Roserade (F)  
Special qualities: None  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 44

Golett - Golett (Genderless)  
Special qualities: Royal Species  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 45

Crobat - Crobat (M)  
Special qualities: Stronger poison, larger than average  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 50

Anorith - Anorith (M)  
Special qualities: Prefers to be underwater than on land despite not being a water-type.

Estimated level by the Pokédex: 29

Tirtouga - Tirtouga (M)  
Special qualities: Shiny, likes to sunbathe despite its species and typing, harder shell for defense  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 31

 ** _Pokémon at home_ :** Zubat, Houndour(s), Houndoom(s), Shuckle

 ** _Caitlin 'Lapis' Lazuli's Pokémon Team_**

Gardevoir - Gardevoir (F)  
Special qualities: Emotion Sensing (if focused), telepathy and teleportation  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 67

Gallade - Gallade (M)  
Special qualities: Telepathy  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 65

Espeon - Espeon (F)  
Special qualities: Developing telepathy  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 43

Metagross - Metagross (Genderless)  
Special qualities: None  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 52

Togepi - Togepi (F)  
Special qualities: … Eggness. With blue and red triangles all over it.  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 12

Litleo - Litleo (M)

Special qualities: None

Estimated level by the Pokédex: 20

 ** _Caitlin's Pokémon at home_**

Gothitelle - Gothitelle (F) - Randomly called for at times, stays more at Caitlin's house  
Special qualities: Telepathy, Teleportation  
Estimated level by the Pokédex: 72

Entei - Entei (M)

Special qualities: None (It's a legendary, that's special enough )

Estimated level by the Pokédex: 85

Duosion - Duosion (M)

Special qualities: None

Estimated level by the Pokédex: 60

Alakazam - Alakazam (M)

Special qualities: Telepathy, Teleportation

Estimated level by the Pokédex: 62

Bronzong - Bronzong (Genderless)

Special qualities: Larger than average

Estimated level by the Pokédex: 67

 **I hope this satisfies some of you! Yes, Ash's team is mostly special but he isn't capturing them at a whim either. He targets special ones, Pokémon that show character. There will be amusing captures, weird captures and just plain 'why the hell did I do this again' captures.**

 **One of these will be during the Orange Island arc. I've decided on a certain Pokémon that many seem to ignore but I see potential and amusement in it. No, it's not Slowking or Snorlax.**

 **Anyway! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, it's especially large for some people to make up for the long wait. ( It took a little longer as I needed to proof read it myself. I have no beta reader / proofreader so be kind on me. )**

 **Once more, I thank all of you readers for the many reviews and pointers. I hope to get more criticizing reviews in order to improve the actual story. I can imagine that some do not like it in the slightest and I'd love to hear _why_ that is! Like how someone reviewed that I made a horrible mistake in chapter 1. **

**Cough, I gave Ash too much stuff, cough.**

 **I also intend to create a future tournament. Therefore, I'll need OC entries! Why do I need OC entries? Because I have zero imagination for 30 specific characters. I mean, I can throw in the odd character myself but to create 32 of them… I'm adding Ash and an OC made by Vital Info. He has also been kind enough to let me put up a 'template' so to say on how he based his OC character. This is for you who would like to enter one. ( Please do it through PMs. I can't imagine reading all my reviews with OC entries! )**

 **Before all of this I need to place some rules and explain the situation.**

 **The tournament will be held during the Orange Island Arc - a new twist as it is focused on the Sevii Islands. This is to implement those islands for something fun, a massive tournament. However, trainers need to qualify for these tournaments and so there are special items hidden throughout the entire islands that one needs to enter the actual tournament. Make it a challenge. The entire tournament takes six entire months and I believe this says enough about the hardships the trainers will go through.**

 **Some rules are obvious: No legendaries (unless giving me a damn good reason and even then it's only a minor legendary I may accept), no pseudo legendary teams (I will hate you if you enter six Dragonites. Seriously), well thought out teams to actually survive through the Pokémon World (this isn't a game where you can choose six Pokémon for a battle. This will be the team that'll make the trainer go through areas needed for the items) and no multiple Royal Species Pokémon. This means there is a LIMIT of ONE Royal Pokémon per team. Please do not add one if unneccessary as it's not a must and they're meant to be RARE.**

 **I will allow the odd Royal Species Pokémon, heck, even a 'Blessed' Pokémon like Ash's Pikachu. Vital Info for one has entered a Royal Species Kingdra which will be a challenge to defeat. I'd like to tell everyone that they can choose Pokémon they like and please don't enter thirty Gardevoirs because that will end up weird. Shinies are, of course, allowed! I can imagine a single shiny hunter being in the tournament…**

 **Now, for the sheet:**

Name:  
Gender:  
Age:  
Place of Birth (for battle introductions):  
Appearance:

Clothing:  
Equipment: ( Mp3? Hiking equipment? Fishing rod? Etc. )  
Personality: ( For me to write about during battle, outside battle )

Pokémon Team

Example 1 (Nickname, Gender)  
Special qualities: (Shiny? Royal species? Larger than average? Capable of flight when the species is not known for it? Etc.)  
Movepool: ( Not limited to four. Choose whatever pleases. Certain moves, such as Yawn when a Pokémon can't learn it in games can be learned in the story IF acceptable enough. Give me a reason to accept it. Don't freakin' send me a Smogon list and limit yourself a little because I won't allow a 'champion' level Pokémon. They'll be around Seventh to Eight gym and add the odd unevolved Pokémon because Ash's team will not be fully evolved by the time either. )

 **NOTE: If applying an OC and I find it less acceptable than others, I will reply in the PM and tell my reasoning. Some OCs will not be added due to overflow, unable to enter because of impossibilities (I mean, you can't dive into an underwater cavern with six fire types) and/or overpowered.**

 **That's all! Until next time!**

 **Lezaroth out. Like a light.**


	17. Road of Ice

**Hello everyone!**

 **So. This is my first time doing something like this, and as far as I know, the first time in Fanfiction (not that many stories even _got_ this far in the adventure). It's been a heck of a ride to actually write this with some private life things and being distracted. I really, really blame Dark Souls 3 for being so addicting. It's a fun game. **

**I'm glad so many people like this story. I've actually started writing this when I got bored and went "Why are there so little stories that go far into the journey?!" when reading other Pokémon Fanfics. I'm not dissing them, but really guys, why do all the amazing ones quit so early? So much potential wasted. *Sob***

 **I've received reviews, private messages and various OC entries. I've read them all - thank you for sending them. I'm glad you all enjoy the story even if there are a few mistakes here and there… (if not big ones at times? I'm not too sure about all of your opinions).**

 **As usual, I will start writing about reviews and questions in it here. I hope this answers some things. Afterwards, I'd like you guys to read something about the OC entries that I've noticed.**

 **Stanie Clements's review about Ash's aura usage**

 **Answer: The tail was an unfocused usage of aura. It was just made to resemble _something_ to grab, protect or harm. Originally, I wanted to make claws but Ash will learn many things later on. He might learn how to create a sword, but that'll take a while. **

**Soul D Phoenix's review about a possible Chandelure, Klingklang and/or Aegislash.**

 **Answer: Who knows? There's so many regions, so many adventures left. I'm leaning towards a Chandelure, though. But that's for another region. Possibly Sinnoh.**

 **Jack905's review about "other worlds", or in my words, alternate universes.**

 **Answer: Yes, yes they were. There are an infinite amount of alternate universes and I simply wrote a few about some fanfics written here.**

 **Now I'm going to talk about the OC entries. First off, thanks for submitting so many characters! Many will be used in the tournament that happens during the Orange Island journey.**

 **I just have one, just one complaint. There are too many Royal Species entries and so I'll have to remove some royal entries. I can enter a few of them, but 80% had an honest-to-goodness Royal Species of all kinds of Pokémon. Hold back a little everyone!**

 **For anyone who'd like to submit another, I'd ask you to limit yourself a little. Don't use a team of Salamance, Garchomp, Dragonite etc. in one go. Some trainers can be weaker than others, others simply have a team that works best together. I've even had a Parasect entry and that person got my respect for doing so. Add some unique twists to your teams, please! It doesn't even have to be the strongest but I prefer the uniqueness, the 'outside the norm' entries. Pokémon you rarely see, Pokémon you don't expect.**

 **Well then. I apologize for the long intro of this chapter. I hope you will enjoy this chapter! I've made you wait long enough.**

* * *

After a very fun trip on Dragonite - although that sentiment was not shared with Brock and Caitlin - the group arrived at an island which had a decently large mountain on it. The top of it was covered in snow, possibly marked by an Articuno as 'in use' because the weather outside was anything but cold.

Ash heard that, however, Articuno reside INSIDE of the mountain, in a deep cave where it can rest and age in peace.

Unlike a normal Pokémon, Legendary Pokémon actually get stronger just by simply aging. An example would be that a newborn Articuno can't win a one on one against a decently trained Pokémon whereas an adult, despite having no training, could blast away any normal Pokémon with a simple gust. That is the power a legendary gains by aging.

This, however, is an extremely slow process. We all know what Ash thinks about slow processes.

 _Screw those. Instead of being lazy, TRAIN!_

If Ash manages to capture Articuno, he would surely kick its feathery behind into training. It would anger him and most likely any serious legendary to see a legendary rot away like that due to laziness and arrogance. Well, if the legendaries actually train themselves that is.

Honestly, it was kind of worrying how the Articuno and other birds their younglings manage to survive without being captured. It really is. If Ash knows where to find one, why wouldn't others?

Then again, Ash had the luck of a Victini… even if he didn't know that.

"Well, we're here," Ash exclaimed with a cheerful and satisfied smile. He swiftly opened his bag and put on the warm clothing be bought at the store before staring at a cloak he received from his mother. He completely forgot about that.

 _I should make more use of those gifts…_

He didn't even use the saddle on his Talonflame, but he'd like to mention that he needs to send that to Professor Oak and request the older man to use all those nuggets the Talonflame brought him in the past to decorate it.

After all, royalty deserves royal equipment!

"Yeah… and I don't want to do that again. At least Falcon flies slowly at the start of a trip," Brock held his stomach before swallowing and then putting on the clothing he purchased. They didn't purchase any clothes like shirts or trousers, so that was alright.

Caitlin in turn let out a huff as she still felt dizzy. Her ankle was already doing a lot better, better than they estimated. It might be a possible side effect from possessing aura as it unconsciously tried to heal the damage.

Self healing. How great is that? Sometimes aura can be such a hack.

Still, she didn't complain. Now that the ankle didn't hurt as much anymore - which she oddly had not felt during the shopping - she could do as she pleased. Well, as long as it doesn't hurt the ankle again… she had no doubt that would hurt. A lot.

Putting on her warm clothing, Caitlin made sure that she was properly equipped for it. Gloves, scarf, boots, extra leggings and a warm jacket. When she turned around, she saw her male friends wearing the same type of clothing except extra leggings and Ash had a cloak around his body.

It was a cloak she hadn't seen before. Interesting.

"Nice cloak Ash, where did you get it?" Brock asked the younger boy curiously.

Ash rubbed the back of his head. Now that they were still outside, it was getting pretty hot. "Mom gave it to me when I left for my journey. I kind-of forgot… I have skates too if that matters," Ash shrugged.

Caitlin and Brock stared at him. ""Why did you…""

The question was left at that as Ash was already walking into the cavern. The heat definitely bothered him and the Dragonite that was looking at them whilst snacking on some treats couldn't help but snicker.

 _'Kids. How amusing they are. Ah well, time to go to Lance. Hope I can score extra snacks from him for doing this,_ ' thought the dragon before he flew upwards and flew off with the sound barrier breaking. The only questionable thing with it is how that bag the Dragonite wears has no damage to it.

Mysteries like that are better off left alone.

""Ash Ketchum! Wait up!"" Both fellow travelers ran at their younger companion, obviously not amused at the casual exit he made when they wanted to ask a question.

* * *

The first impression is always important. It seems this cavern lives up to its name.

There was no need for any light. There were crystals, most likely natural ones, that gave off light. A strange thing to see, but they also looked like they were made of ice. The cold temperature around them definitely attracted Ash's professor mindset but he came here with a different goal.

The entrance was a large tunnel that lead towards an open area. This area was filled with damaged grounds, broken walls and even a humongous hole in the ceiling. This hole seemed to go downwards as well and Ash took a guess that that was Articuno's 'door'.

When the three trainers arrived in the open area, they expected many things. What they did not expect was _another_ bloody _swarm_. The moment they arrived they saw a bunch of bird-like, bipedal Pokémon. Each looked like they were made to be the next Santa Claus and they all carried a large red bag.

' _Is it time for presents?_ ' Ash wondered as he rose an eyebrow. These Pokémon were Delibird. They are one of the rarer flying type Pokémon seeing how they prefer to rest in cold areas and they often hide themselves quite well despite the fact they wear such a bright red it made Ash question the trainers.

Their species is one of the _very few_ Pokémon who know the move Present. Actually, all Pokémon other than Delibird can't learn Present by normal means. It is a very interesting move, yet also a gamble as it can damage but also heal. Guess what they are looking at?

You guessed it! Waaaay to many Delibird… and they didn't look particularly happy.

Nope, not at all. Then again, Ash doesn't know if it's their breeding season or not. Interrupting a breeding season is akin to calling death upon thyself.

Luckily, Delibird are the kinder species amongst the Pokémon. That doesn't mean they're off the hook either. The strongest of the swarm, 3 Delibird, stepped forward and pretty much challenged them in order to chase them off. Ash heard their exclamation though. It was quite a surprise as he'd imagined that they'd attack.

" _You trainers attempt to enter our breeding grounds? We will chase you off; but if you win we will allow you access. Consider it a challenge!"_

If he was a normal person, then he'd be confused but Ash could understand the language just fine thanks to his past aura experiment. It's still weird to see how some of them actually follow chivalry-like behavior.

"Alright… They want us to battle against them, three against three. You guys up for it?" Ash asked his friends, both agreeing without a second thought.

Pikachu jumped in front of Ash for a battle, simply coming out of the Pokéball and then came Espeon and Ninetales. It seems they got a nice combination going there as Ash thought up a few options.

"Combine moves, or each battles one?" He asked his friends to be sure. It's best to ask it and the Delibird seemed kind enough to wait despite not liking the fact that trainers entered their breeding grounds in order to capture Pokémon.

"Take one each," Caitlin put in her word and Brock seemed to agree with it, making the 'leader' of the group shrug. "Let's go. Espeon! Psybeam!"

The six Pokémon jumped away as moves went towards the Delibird and the attackers followed, making sure they were separated so that they won't make any sudden moves.

* * *

Pikachu was running around a Delibird with a speed that would leave many in awe. The Delibird looked quite tough and launched an Ice Beam towards the floor in order to let Pikachu slip, but the mouse was a lot smarter than that.

Using Iron Tail, Pikachu jumped towards the Delibird that was now attempting to circle itself with an ice beam. He was far too fast for the Delibird to catch up, so the bird received an Iron Tail straight to the head.

Delibird couldn't help but let out a cry of pain before throwing dozens of presents around - a surprising amount of them actually - which all began to explode and cause Pikachu to be launched up with a cry of surprise and pain.

Delibird wasn't done as soon after, the Delivery Pokémon launched a Water Pulse to the Pikachu - not knowing the consequences of doing so with this particular one.

Blue eyes opened wide at the sight of a water source and the mouse grinned eagerly, Pikachu's tail twitching as it made its way into the orb and took control of the water before using Aqua Tail in a single twirl, launching the water source back to the shocked Delibird that was launched off of its feet into a boulder.

Pikachu let out a battle cry before launching a massive thundershock towards the Delibird, the yellow electricity forcing itself in a straight path and the Delibird took advantage despite being hurt with Pikachu's surprise attack. Rolling aside, the Delibird took his chance and instantly used Present, the box didn't explode however as it gave off a green light and began healing the Delibird.

' _What a cheat,_ ' Ash thought as he looked at that. They could CONTROL that? They fired off 12 before, isn't that a little too much?

He did notice the fact that Pikachu's electric attacks were often done in a straight path. It should be fixed as soon as possible because that is a really bad issue with the moves. They contain tons of power, but it seems that Pikachu barely has any control if it's all done in a straight path.

Delibird jumped on its feet while being fully recovered, the Delivery Pokémon giving an eager look as he fired a Seed Bomb towards the Pikachu who jumped upwards and had to use Iron Tail's weight to dodge sideways as an Ice Beam soon followed him up.

* * *

Brock's Ninetales couldn't help but grin eagerly. She'd been waiting for a battle for ages as the pseudo-legends often took away the fun. Right now the space was closed off and her nine tails began to move around in the air with a Will-O-Wisp on each tip.

Brock couldn't help but admire the beauty of the Pokémon. A Ninetales is extremely beautiful and despite that, fierce. The way his Ninetales looked now said enough. Without needing a command, the Fox Pokémon now launched a massive Flamethrower towards the Delivery Pokémon, who jumped sideways to avoid the dangerous flames of the Fox Pokémon.

Delibird instantly launched multiple Water Pulses, intending to finish it as soon as possible but Brock never neglected to train Ninetales for weaknesses.

Nine tails split apart and gained a silver glint, each using Iron Tail with deadly accuracy as they swiped against the multiple water attacks, slamming them away or destroying them immediately. It seems the Fox Pokémon nearly did so without even thinking and launched another Flamethrower despite using Iron Tail at the same time.

So surprised at that sight as Pokémon rarely have the ability to do such a thing, the Delibird was hit head on and knocked out instantly. It seems Ninetales contained a lot of _firepower_.

Brock scratched his head at the sight. ' _Am I feeding them something that makes them too strong? I'm pretty sure Ash's Pokémon are just as strong._ '

Ninetales let out a disappointed sigh. It seems this battle wasn't meant for her either.

"Sorry girl, you'll have to forgive me for this," Brock whispered as the Ninetales came back and he stroked her fur.

" _I suppose it's can't be helped. The shock must've made the attack hit without any protective means._ "

* * *

Espeon seemed to have a harder time.

For starters, she had no super effective moves against the Delibird. There's also the problem that her target seemed to be much stronger than Ninetales'.

Espeon jumped sideways to avoid a Present and rushed towards the Delibird with an Iron Tail, only to be met with a Power-up Punch that overpowered the Iron Tail and sent her skidding backwards.

Taking the chance as the Delibird is recovering, Espeon's gem glowed brightly and fired a Psybeam, hitting the Delibird in the face.

With a lot of luck, the psychic energy caused the Delibird to get confused and caused the Delivery Pokémon to walk around with swirls in his eyes.

Seeing the chance, Espeon rushed towards the Delibird and launched it into the ground with an Iron Tail, striking with her full weight. This followed up by another Psybeam and then Espeon began gathering huge rocks with Psychic, launching them all onto the Delibird that was on the ground whilst confused.

With a lot of luck, the Delibird recovered after shaking his head wildly and flew upwards to avoid being crushed by the obviously damaging move.

Seeing the chance as the Espeon definitely felt a bit fatigued from throwing the huge rocks, the Delibird decided to launch a full-powered Ice Beam at the Espeon, who became frozen almost instantly. Caitlin's eyes widened at that, her Pokémon lost against this Delibird?!

They're _definitely_ strong.

* * *

Ash noticed the frozen Espeon and quickly decided to act. Right now, he couldn't really hold up and it wasn't as if they _promised_ to do one-on-one battles.

"Pikachu! Iron Tail on Espeon!" Ash called out much to Caitlin's surprise. Pikachu noticed the reason and rushed off far too fast for the other Delibird to catch up and smashed his tail against the ice of the frozen Espeon, who became freed.

" _Hurry up and use Psychic on my Thunder! We'll knock both out if you control it!"_ Pikachu ordered the Espeon, who was surprised at being freed already, with a fierce command. While feeling a lot weaker, this should be within her capabilities.

Pikachu took a deep breath before giving a battle 'roar', firing a massive Thunder towards Espeon's opponent - who decided to take a brief rest before helping his friend - and Espeon's eyes and gem began to glow a bright glue that forced the thunder in a blast of electricity. First, it hit the Delibird that was far too surprised by the sudden, extremely powerful attack and then the attack turned towards Pikachu's opponent.

The Delibird that now noticed the massive electric-type attack panicked before launching as many Presents as he could in order to _weaken_ it at least… but it seems that Espeon's Psychic protected the attack from the continuous attacks before it reached the Delibird that also cried in pain.

The two Delibird were knocked out completely by the move and faint electricity could be seen coming from their bodies. Ash saw a chance and grabbed a Pokéball.

' _They never said I couldn't capture one of them… besides, they can miss one,_ ' Ash thought with a faint shrug. It was all to help out his mother, but also to have a fellow ice-type for his Glacia. That, and having a fellow flying and ice type outdo an Articuno if he or she wouldn't train would motivate him/her… hopefully. If he manages to capture Articuno. If Articuno is even here.

Throwing the Pokéball, the one that Pikachu battled was captured. Serves him right for healing so many times.

Ash caught the Pokéball before turning to the other Delibird that watched and rose a brow. "Any problems with the capture?" He asked just to be sure.

One of the Delibird shook his head, slowly at that. That meant they weren't intimidated - which is a good sign really, because Pokémon tend to act violent in such a state. " _They have battled you and you won fair and square. It is within your rights, and we are witnesses. He was captured after a battle and in the wild, that makes it right._ "

Ash relayed what he had been told before Brock perked up and decided to capture a Delibird as well. This one seemed to transfer towards Brock's home. Perhaps he placed a limit on his captured team? Gym Leaders were allowed to make their own team limits after all. How curious.

" _Seeing how you have won the battle, you can proceed. However, be careful. There resides a young Articuno and it does not like strangers visiting its resting grounds._ " The Delibird that spoke before, waved an … arm? towards an entrance to a deeper cavern and the trainers nodded in thanks before leaving to the next area.

Best hurry now.

* * *

Walking through the cave, Ash couldn't help but think about things. "Weren't you two intending to capture a Pokémon for your team here as well?"

Caitlin shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll see if I can find a lake. I've always wanted a water-type, really."

"I'll just look around," Brock answered and the three trainers noticed that there were multiple entrances to, most likely, specific areas. "I'll take left?" Brock offered.

Ash rubbed his head in annoyance at seeing this. He had hopes it was just a straightforward trip, but it seems he isn't lucky. "Guess I'll go center."

"Fufu, I'll take right. If we finish, we go outside of the cave, alright you two?" Caitlin finished with the two others agreeing. Seeing that they were going apart, each called out a second Pokémon as the ones who battled stayed outside of their ball.

" _Tar!_ "

" _Nin-nin!_ "

" _Gardevoir…_ "

"""Let's go you two,""" the three trainers spoke in synchronicity before going to their destinations.

* * *

 **With Caitlin**

Caitlin took a deep breath as she looked around herself and then shivered a little. "Thick skinned men… I have no idea how they endure it," she muttered and her two companions could only look at her in pity.

Well, up until Gardevoir shivered as well and that pity became vengeance. She hates the cold too!

"So where should we go?" Caitlin asked her Gardevoir, who is known for her hidden ability.

" _If we walk further, we will reach a lake. At least, the minds that I can scan show a lake filled with various Pokémon._ " Gardevoir replied curtly and moved on with Espeon. Their eyes looked around in case there is a dark-type hanging around; those buggers couldn't be scanned and it wouldn't be the first time Gardevoir made such a mistake. It cost her a good week of recovery in a cave thanks to a nasty Sneasel. Then again, she was still new to it back then, and a Kirlia.

' _Hmm.. That fits what I'm looking for. It's still way too cold… Wonder how the water isn't frozen? Ah.. Wait, I have an idea!_ ' Caitlin smiled happily at the idea she just had and grabbed a Pokéball.

"Come on out, Litleo," She spoke cheerfully as the Fire/Normal type Pokémon appeared and happily looked at her. The cold didn't even bother him, in fact, with his natural heat he was capable of lessening the heat around the area too. A bonus for having a fire-type with you.

Gardevoir cheered up as well and Espeon simply sweatdropped with a single thought, ' _I'm supposed to be the new one here and yet, they can't handle the cold…_ '

Espeon let out a sigh before walking forward and went deeper into the cave, taking the lead of the two pansies and the innocent Litleo.

" _We're close to the source of the minds I read,_ " Gardevoir mentioned after a while and they soon noticed an opening.

A lake, so clear that it almost made Caitlin want to jump in and enjoy it. It was so pure she could see the bottom and it looked as if the entire cavern was made of crystals, the ice no longer being spiky. It almost looked… taken care of?

As she looked in the water, she could see multiple Pokémon. Seel, Dewgong, Shellder and in the very distance she could even see a _Lapras_. A Pokémon so insanely rare it almost made her drop her jaw.

It was so beautiful she wanted to take a picture of it and so she did, taking multiple pictures of the area which drew the attention of the younger Pokémon that curiously looked up and popped around.

Within a few minutes, the group of four were surrounded by at least 10 young Pokémon. A pair of Seel, a Shellder, a young Lapras that is no doubt the child of the one in the back, a rare Bergmite, Sneasel, a Slowbro, a pair of Slowking and lastly, a recently evolved Dewgong that seemed to be the leader of the Seel.

"Oh, hello you all," Caitlin smiled softly at the sight of the curious eyes. They must've never met humans, or at least the bad kind. She crouched down and offered a hand to the Lapras in the water that curiously looked at it before placing her head on it and let it stroke her, faint squeals being heard that she liked it.

That seemed to break the dam as the cute young Pokémon decided to all nuzzle up against Caitlin, who in turn let out a squeal due to the cold but soon laughed at the sensation of being nuzzled and licked by all the Pokémon. Heck, the Slowbro and two Slowking just stood there smiling and turned to the Pokémon with Caitlin, most likely to chatter a little and gain a few tips for some psychic moves. They do recognize the psychic-type energy after all.

The sound, in turn, lured the older ones in and she was soon surrounded by the Pokémon's higher evolutions and/or powers. An older Lapras, most likely the leader of the group, tilted its head in curiosity at the sight of the human girl. One managed to get this deep in the cavern? That is quite a surprise.

The Lapras asked the question to the Gardevoir, who relayed it to Caitlin, " _She's basically asking what we are doing here._ "

Caitlin wanted to roll her eyes. No _duh_. That's an obvious one.

"I'm here with two of my friends. We're actually looking to have a new family member, or I suppose, new Pokémon in our team. I came here since the way split in three and I found you here."

The Lapras didn't get angry, nor hostile. The trainer was honest about her intentions and didn't hide a thing which is something the Lapras could admire and it nodded.

Speaking again, the Lapras let the Gardevoir translate, " _You're welcome to challenge a willing Pokémon._ "

Caitlin smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Lapras," she'd have to admit that the sight of such a rare and beautiful pokémon was new to even her and she had _Entei_.

Lapras nodded and swam off to the back again, keeping a watchful eye so nobody would get hurt. As Caitlin turned, she could feel a Seel poking her curiously and making a few cries. It was a young one, no doubt still not used to battle.

" _The little one wishes to challenge you if you'd like him to be your family member,_ " Gardevoir translated and Caitlin nodded to one of her strongest Pokémon.

"If you don't mind. Since you're so young, Litleo will be the best choice. Is that alright for you?" She asked the newly captured Litleo. It'd be their first battle really and this must be a good intro. Litleo never had much formal training other than the minor things they did and practice the moves he knew instinctively.

A pair of Dewgong, no doubt the parents, moved to the Seel and seemed to chatter for a while. Eventually, the two nodded in agreement and gave their blessings before everyone backed off in respect for the Seel's first battle. No doubt, interested in how it will go.

Heck, the Seel was adventurous so she'd have loved to join Caitlin either way. By battle, however, is traditional and that is taught to all Pokémon from birth which Seel also followed so she offered no complaints.

The male Litleo let out a battle cry before standing ready and the Seel also turned serious. The battle field was the lake, but the few Ice types offered some help and made plateaus with the use of Ice Beam.

A Pokémon was counting down it seems as a Weavile called out the typical 'Start!' with a wave of his claw. A form of entertainment for the other Pokémon maybe? It'll help them grow at least.

"Litleo! Start with Work Up and follow up with Tackle!" Litleo nodded and his small body gained a faint growth with a red glow around him. The ice under his feet melted a little as the heat increased and Seel also took action by firing a Water Gun straight towards the Litleo, who was boosting himself.

"Dodge to the side!"

Litleo jumped instantly, following his trainer's lead. The Water Gun managed to hit him a bit, but it wasn't that much. The Litleo instantly jumped from pieces to ice to another and reached the Seel with a fast Tackle.

Seel let out a cry of pain before going underwater and Litleo had to quickly get on top of ice again.

"Work Up, again!" Caitlin really forgot how lower level, or equal for that matter, battles worked. She was so used to crushing her opponents, it brought a little joy back to see the challenge in this.

Even if Ash had some crazy growth rate that was gradually reaching _her_ level. He reminded Caitlin of Cynthia, really.

Litleo let out another cry before growing bigger, his fur turning a red shade due to all the gradual increases of power. The small cub decided to take matters in his own hands by firing a few Ember shots, which Caitlin immediately corrected.

"Stop! Don't use fire-type moves on the water!" Really, this is the problem with younger Pokémon. They tended to be rash, but Caitlin was a little too late.

Steam rose as the differences between cold and hot made each other known, the Ember attack causing her sight to become limited. That's quite annoying.

Seel now took her chance by firing a close Water Gun, having reached the Litleo silently and the cub let out a cry of pain as he was launched onto a larger plateau made of ice.

"Litleo!" Caitlin called out in worry before deciding to use a move the Litleo must've learnt by now. At least, she hoped he did even if partially. She really should have trained the cub more, but he wasn't with her long enough to get some actual training in. "Noble Roar!"

While not optimal, Litleo listened and tried his best to use the move that is called their signature attack. Noble Roar, a move that lowers the opponent's attack and special attack. The roar targets the opponent's brain and forces them to become intimidated, lowering their power.

Though in this case, it was half effective. A good thing did happen though as Seel appeared and Caitlin decided to go for the kill. Figuratively speaking, that is.

"Headbutt! End this battle!"

Litleo let out a battle cry and jumped towards the Seel with all his strength, gathering energy around his head and slammed it straight into the Seel's face. The move proved to be a critical hit as Seel instantly floated on her back with swirls in her eyes.

"Go!" Caitlin cried out in excitement - as she threw a Pokéball - at capturing a new partner. Her grin widened when she saw the Pokéball hit the Seel and it got captured in the orb. It began twitching every now and then before finishing and a water-type that was nearby headbutted the ball back to Caitlin to help out.

"Thanks! I captured a Seel," Caitlin thanked the water-type before looking at her Litleo and she leaned down to pet him. "Good job, but! Don't use moves without my commands until I say so, understood, Litleo?" Caitlin thanked and scolded at the same time. It was to keep the big head away too.

Litleo let out a faint whimper.

"Being cute won't help either."

Litleo whimpered more.

* * *

 **With Brock**

Brock made sure that his two Pokémon were fine. Both Ninetales and Tyranitar are new to this sort of environment despite having experience in a snowstorm. That one was actually made by a Pokémon so Brock had a feeling it was an adult Articuno.

The air was cold and he could see his breath, his Pokémon exhaling the same as himself. Ninetales, however, decided to warm up the area and used Will-O-Wisp on her tails as she guided them around. It was a lifesaver too as the cavern lit up more, revealing those beautiful crystals made of ice and material Brock wasn't sure what it is. Glowstone, maybe?

Deciding to go for it for his gym, he called for his strongest Pokémon.

"Tyranitar, could you break some of those crystals for me to take with me? The gym might like them, plus I'm sure that dad would like to study it. Even if he hasn't done so in a bunch of years."

" _Tar._ " Tyranitar nodded in agreement and used Rock Smash in a karate-like fashion, breaking a few crystals with utmost care. The larger ones would go to Brock's father, but Brock decided to keep a bunch of the smaller ones. "Keep some for me too. Those will have to be smaller."

Tyranitar nodded and did his job. Ninetales let out a small huff of amusement at the sight of her trainer doing such things. Really, this is the difference between the three trainers. One is mature and wishes to become a healer and a breeder, the other is a mature trainer with a few problems that most likely come due to teenage years but extremely talented at battling and finally there is the elite trainer that could wipe out teams with no problem.

She was happy to be Brock's Pokémon though. He was the best kind of trainer you'd wish for. He pampers you, but doesn't treat you like a doll and trains you to the ground when needed.

Ninetales' sensitive ears picked up sounds of whimpers and growls that made the Ninetales turn her head to the direction deeper into the cave.

" _Brock!_ " which only came as " _Nine!_ " to Brock's ears, but it had the same effect. Brock turned around to see his Ninetales pointing her tail deeper into the cave and Brock frowned slightly at the action. Did something happen there, a dangerous Pokémon or was it something else?

"Tyranitar, let's go," Brock commanded as he listened to his Pokémon. Ninetales didn't look worried, but still cautious as to what is happening.

Ninetales dutifully remained in front of them and let her tails travel through the air, making sure that no spot was left untouched. They, however, arrived at a scene of three Sneasel targeting a Pokémon that whimpered in fear.

A Cubchoo. A Pokémon that isn't seen in Kanto, meaning that it must be rare to find one. Was it abandoned, or did the parents get captured? Perhaps even worse…

Brock, however, did not like the sight of such a young Pokémon - and he could see it since the Cubchoo was thin and his fur wasn't that big yet, meaning it must be cold - being targeted as a toy and later on, a quick snack. No sirree, he'll have to chat with these Sneasel.

"Ninetales, take one out. Tyranitar, take the other two. Show them how it feels, don't hurt them too much but make sure that they'll never do it again.."

You don't target kids in Brock's eyes. Ever.

Tyranitar roared loudly and made the entire cavern shake, scaring the four Pokémon in front of Brock. The Sneasel more because Tyranitar's red eyes were glaring towards them specifically. Roaring again, the Tyranitar rushed off and kicked two Sneasel away for a little 'chat'.

Ninetales just growled menacingly and slammed an Iron Tail against the leftover Sneasel. Now, she got to toying with that one so that he understands how it feels.

While his Pokémon were busy, Brock walked up to the baby Cubchoo with a friendly air around him. He had no reason to be afraid, "Hello little one."

"C-cub…" Cubchoo was thinking it's over when he saw the human, if that is what he is, walk over to him. From what little he understood in his time as an egg, humans capture Pokémon and force them to battle.

"Don't worry. I won't do anything wrong, just eat this. It'll help," Brock offered a Sitrus berry, focusing more on the fact that the Cubchoo may be hungry and hurt. A good sitrus berry fixes most of those problems.

"Choo?" The Cubchoo didn't know how to react, but moved his little arms towards the berry. He knew it was food instinctively because of the aroma of the berry and tried to take a bite with his small teeth. A surprise to Brock because he assumed the Pokémon would not have any yet so young. It seems wild Pokémon grow them at a faster rate in order to survive.

A note for the future.

Brock tried to hold out his hand and pet the Cubchoo, but the Pokémon quickly shied away and ate the berry as fast as it could in order to get away.

Sighing softly, Brock decided to sit down on the cold rocky floor. He looked at the Cubchoo with focus and calm, not revealing any hostility. That's the dumbest thing to do now.

This went on for three entire minutes, as the Cubchoo had a little trouble eating the berry. During those three minutes, the Cubchoo eventually began warming up a little as Brock showed no danger to Cubchoo's being.

Tyranitar and Ninetales eventually joined the two and sat down with Brock giving them a Sitrus berry as well. Seeing that the baby Cubchoo was still hungry, he grabbed a few smaller Oran Berries and placed them in front of the baby Pokémon. "Here, this should help."

Brock did not push the Pokémon any further. The Cubchoo took action as he leaned forward to sniff the berries and carefully chewed on them.

Brock could, however, see the restoring damage done on the Cubchoo's body. Small patches of dirt simply disappeared as the Pokémon gained energy and some small bruises and wounds also did. A faint cut became a scar on the Pokémon's chest, but it's better than having it infected.

Good.

"Ninetales, do you hear or see anyone else around us?" Brock asked to be sure. He didn't like being in the dark where Sneasel were threatening young Pokémon. Some Pokémon might be even more dangerous, though it could just be those three.

Will-O-Wisps were now flying around the area instead of focused on a tail. The ghostly flames made sure to leave no spot untouched and were anything to get close, they'd get burnt. Brock scanned the area to make sure there is nothing wrong and once confirmed that they were alone, outside of three beaten up Sneasel in the corner, he looked at Cubchoo who was now finished eating.

"Are you feeling better?" Brock asked for confirmation.

Cubchoo tilted his head as he looked at the _human_ who gave him _food_. It tasted nice and those two strong Pokémon listened to his commands. Was he an alpha, a leader? Or is this what humans do?

"Cub..choo," Cubchoo decided to tag along with this human. Whether he'd like it or not, he now gained a Cubchoo and the young Pokémon crawled on top of Brock's lap to sit down.

"Well," Brock mumbled as he looked at his two Pokémon in confusion, "I guess I got a Cubchoo?" He half mumbled half asked.

"Cub!" "Tar…" "Tales!" One cheered, two shrugged in fascination at the actions of the little Pokémon. Guess their trainer really is a mother-type.

..

..

' _I feel like someone just questioned my manliness…_ ' Brock thought silently.

Ah well. This place is the perfect place to train for now, it's time to get his fossil Pokémon stronger. They have been complaining that they hadn't done that much yet.

* * *

 **With Ash**

"So Pi, any idea where we are going?" Ash questioned his starter to see if he heard anything.

" _No idea,_ " Pikachu shrugged and looked ahead of them. He was currently on Ash's shoulder scanning the area.

" _I can't see anything either,_ " Hermit commented as he looked around. " _I'll scan the area ahead of us with Feint Attack._ "

"Alright," Ash agreed as he silently wondered how they call that move nowadays. Really, Faint Attack or Feint Attack? Some questions really keep popping up.

Pikachu let out a sigh at the sight of his trainer getting deep into his thoughts. Really, sometimes Ash dozed off.

..

..

..

' _Hmm. This area is open,_ ' Hermit thought as he scanned the area. It was beautiful really, and a hole in the ceiling that most likely reached the sky showed natural sunlight. It's still day it seems.

As the Greninja's red eyes scanned the area, he hadn't noticed the Articuno yet. He simply looked at the surroundings for any obvious sights that remain hidden or perhaps, danger for Ash.

So far, he found none.

" _Zzz.. Mmn.._ "

' _What's that sound?_ ' He tracked the sound and found something that his trainer would appreciate. An honest to goodness legendary. Yes, they fought the shiny Mew before, but this'll be the first time they'll go for capture.

He hoped that this will go well. This Articuno will no doubt be arrogant and unruly… If he or she is, then Ash will have his hands full of this legendary. The fact that this legendary will be a pain to raise will be there too because they can't train in the open.

The Articuno was small for one. The average ones spotted are usually a few years older and so a lot larger, but this one was still young. It was around 1.5M. That'll be interesting for Falcon, the target will be small.

Yes, he already figured out Ash will send out Falcon and agreed completely. He wasn't ready for a legendary Pokémon yet. None of them were, not even Pikachu. Falcon, however, had that power increase with the fact that he is a Royal Pokémon.

How unfair.

' _I'll report this to Ash. Best do so as fast as possible so he can prepare._ ' Hermit rushed off towards his trainer to report his finding.

..

..

..

"An Articuno's really here huh? Only 1.5M too… This should be possible for Falcon, especially considering the fact that Articuno is still young."

' _Though I should be ready to call for Pikachu were this Articuno to be stronger than Falcon. I won't let him get hurt,_ ' Ash thought silently as his red eyes narrowed.

" _So you'll send out Falcon?_ " Pikachu, his starter, guessed. It was a good choice overall.

"Yeah. Articuno's an Ice/Flying type and that means that Falcon has the advantage. I'm not sure what moves an Articuno learns at an early age, but I have no doubt that it'll be a pain. Let's hope this one doesn't know Ancient Power because that move is a nightmare."

" _I don't disagree with you there. Ancient Power is a very strong move that increases one's power by using it. Each usage keeps getting you stronger… A shame that we can't learn it,_ " Pikachu shrugged.

"Who cares? I'll train you guys to be the strongest. You all might be entering the elite levels but there's much to improve. An Articuno rarely bothers training unlike regular Pokémon. Heck, didn't you guys notice Mew didn't even _master_ a move? Heck, Pi, you still can't even turn your electricity in various ways after firing a Thunderbolt. Do you understand what I mean? Not just that, but I've been neglecting defense. We're all about power and speed, not defense. I'll work on that before we start the league. We might not win, but we'll go far."

Pikachu and Hermit simply stood by Ash's side as he spoke. His natural charisma helped a lot to tell them about his plans and goals. They all stood by his side and will do so in the future because they can't wish for any better training.

Though Ash lost his focus at the end. It's time to battle Articuno.

" _Let's get going Ash! Let's get our newest family member!"_ Pikachu exclaimed and Hermit smirked as he walked with his now focused trainer.

It's time to see a battle of legends. Ash best call out his entire team for this show.

..

..

..

"Alright… Best get everyone out. If Articuno goes berserk or something, we'll tag team him down. Other than that, one on one," Ash called to his team as he let out aura seep into their Cherish Balls. Seconds later, his entire team stood there. Pikachu, Falcon, Meowth, Hermit, Glacia, Trickster and Valencia. "Falcon, you're going to battle against a legendary Pokémon. Are you ready?" He asked his second Pokémon to be sure. Falcon will always be the powerhouse on the team thanks to his genes, even if Pikachu can win with his electric attacks.

" _Heck yeah! I'll be sure to take down Articuno for you, Ash! I won't disappoint!"_ Falcon made a smirk figure on his beak as his eyes glinted with battle lust and eagerness to help Ash complete one of his dreams.

Ash might not talk about it nowadays, but in the past he had the dream of capturing a legendary Pokémon. He will make it happen for his friend, his brother.

So he'll do his best. He'll _make_ it happen even if he gets injured. Ready for the challenge, the Talonflame walked forward on his feet and let out a cry of challenge.

" _Articuno! My trainer and I challenge you to battle! If we win, we may capture you. If we lose, you can decide!_ " Falcon cried out in battle and woke up the Articuno that instantly looked alert at the sight that it was surrounded by so many powerful looking Pokémon. It heard the challenge before letting out a huff.

" _You foolish Pokémon. Did you think you can challenge a legendary? I'll show you where you are with that arrogance,_ " Ash was finding that voice annoying. " _Either way… Let us battle. If you lose, which you will, hm. How about I_ eat _that trainer?_ "

Every Pokémon's eyes began to glow almost red in an instant fit of rage. That Articuno best be quiet before it gets buried six feet underground.

"Bring it," Ash replied for this, "We won't lose against you."

" _Hmph. So be it then, you foolish trainer. Let this battle… begin!_ " Articuno cried out in an -almost- unfair advantage and fired an Ice Beam to finish it early.

That Ice Beam wasn't mastered in the slightest, but they could _feel_ the raw power behind it. Truly, legendaries are scary… however.

Falcon flew up in a blur and dodged it. Its massive size did naught to stop him from being fast. A massive gust of wind flew around the area that surprised the Articuno because it was far more powerful than it assumed from that 'commoner'.

Sadly for Articuno, it will be hit for the first time in its life. A massive orb of flame rushed towards his body followed by at least ten more. All of them are overcharged Ember attacks, forming fireballs thanks to the Talonflame's power.

Articuno cried out in pain as she was blown into a wall from the sheer power of the move before rushing into the air and becoming a blur thanks to its inborn agility. The legendary Pokémon became so fast Ash had trouble to follow it and so became the Talonflame. Blurs kept hitting each other.

"Falcon! Take it into the skies! This isn't your best place to battle in!" That was true, the area was made of ice. The cold worked in the Articuno's favor and the area was smaller than pleasant for the Talonflame to work at its maximum potential.

" _Right!_ " The Talonflame became a bird of flames that almost resembled a Moltres, rushing off to the Articuno with Flare Blitz and instead of slamming the Articuno into a wall or the ground, the Talonflame took it through the hole made for the legendary to enter the caverns.

Articuno couldn't do anything but cry out in pain. The legendary had no training in pain resistance because wild Pokémon did not dare to touch it and neither did its parents ever bother to train it in anything but some moves.

A mistake.

The Flare Blitz lasted for three minutes as the Talonflame rushed up at blinding speed. The smaller Articuno was stuck on its beak that hit the Pokémon straight in its body and once they got there, the Talonflame blasted the Articuno away with a strong Flamethrower.

The result was a very painful experience for the Articuno.

" _Speaking of arrogance, where did you learn to battle? You're weak!_ " Falcon taunted and the Articuno saw red. The skies began to darken as snow fell from the energy that the legendary bird Pokémon let out, changing the battlefield into a snowstorm but the Talonflame did nothing to it.

Nothing but turn into a bird of fire. Ash stared up with his Pokémon as they could see the faint outlines of their Pokémon and Falcon turning his body full of flames, but they had a rough idea when it began to snow. It seems that this time, the Talonflame used Flame Charge.

Articuno didn't know of this move, so it did not know of the dangers of letting it continue. It, in its rage, fired a massive Gust that resembled a tornado but the Talonflame began to fly towards the Articuno whilst spinning in the opposite manner as the tornado. It worked as the Talonflame rushed through it and hit the legendary straight on, but soon got hit by a painful Wing Attack which sent it flying lower.

Falcon's eyes glinted at the challenge. If a Wing Attack and Gust did this, how did its other moves work?

Time to find out!

" _Here we go!_ " Falcon cried out as the wind changed into his favor. Tailwind, a move that the Talonflame loved. Now it used Agility with Flame Charge, boosting its speed to a much, much faster level than the Articuno's.

A blur of flames is all the legendary could see. Its small body ached in pain as in a blur, the entire body was hit multiple times over by the fast Pokémon.

In retaliation, the Articuno began to use Gust around itself to form a protective barrier - it did not even know protective moves. Talonflame noticed this and used Flamethrower, turning the simple barrier of Gust into a tornado of flames… which worked in his advantage.

Readying himself for Brave Bird, he was suddenly pelted by various Ancient Power rocks that the Articuno used. It seems that the legendary got serious and used all it could to take down Falcon…

But the Talonflame knew of pain. It could go through it. It has gone through worse.

Letting out a battle cry, the flaming tornado disappeared and Articuno flew off towards the Talonflame with a charged Wing Attack.

That's when it was also met with a _Steel_ wing. A super effective move that instantly made the Articuno regret choosing that move and its wing began to hurt even more.

" _Eat… this!_ " Gale Wing activated and the Talonflame became _even faster_. The massive, shiny Talonflame used Brave Bird and hit the Articuno's back and began to fly downwards into the hole. It's time to take down the Articuno completely. Seeing the chance, Falcon began to spin his body and the Articuno did as well and their fall became even faster.

It was almost akin to a Seismic Toss.

Ash and the rest rushed off as they spotted that blur and seconds later, a massive hole was found in the ground with an Articuno crying out in pain and a Talonflame that was panting thanks to the damage of the Ancient Power and the Flare Blitz.

But it seems legendaries have extraordinary amounts of energy. The Articuno noticed its surroundings and began to use Ancient Power continuously and fired rock after rock at the Talonflame.

Falcon had none of it and used Steel Wing, parrying each and every rock. They were massive, a sign of no control. The Talonflame almost became a blur as it flew around breaking the Ancient Power rocks before meeting the Articuno that stood on the ground again and slammed another Steel Wing into its body, this time dragging it with him before launching it off into the wall where it rested closeby.

' _This Pokémon… It's strong…'_ Articuno thought in pain as the Talonflame still remained in the air, ready for combat. Similar thoughts rose in Ash's mind.

Since when did Falcon get that strong?

That was when the Articuno used more energy than necessary. An overcharged Ice Beam flew off into the direction of the Talonflame and one of its wings became frozen. Falcon fell down onto the ground but thanks to training as much as he did, he landed on his claws.

' _Darn… Frozen._ '

"Falcon, use Flame Charge and focus on that wing. Afterwards, use Brave Bird and slam that wing against Articuno continuously. Keep it up with the speed and take it down!"

Falcon listened to the order, knowing that his trainer knew best. Ash was smart enough to think about such things and Articuno replied by sending multiple Gust tornadoes after Falcon.

The Royal Species Pokémon began to blur and managed to dodge two Gust attacks, but was soon barraged by at least six others. Falcon cried out in agony as his body was being attacked from multiple sides, but the Pokémon did not give in.

Bursting into flames, the Talonflame used his Flare Blitz to finish it. The Pokémon then combined it with Brave Bird, activating its Gale Wings ability and afterwards, all Articuno knew was pain and darkness after the sight of raging flames.

Falcon flew down after that and struggled to stand. He was beaten up quite heavily from supposed to be weak moves. Really, legendaries contain way too much power… but.

" _I… I did it! I DID IT!_ " Falcon let out a cry of achievement and soon afterwards, the entire family of the Talonflame let out cries of cheer and happiness too.

A normal Pokémon had beaten a legendary, even if that legendary was young and untrained.

Ash had a grin of pride. "Good job Falcon! You're the best!" He couldn't be more proud fo his Pokémon. Last time it had taken six Pokémon to defeat a Mew. Now it took _one_ to defeat an Articuno.

Even if Mew is on another scale with power, it was amazing to see a Talonflame defeat an Articuno.

Ash took his chance and threw a Cherish Ball at the Articuno, capturing it despite the struggle. The Articuno would not like it, but the battle was accepted. It was defeated by its own pride, even if the battle had been close.

Honestly, if Articuno knew how to fight… Falcon would have stood no chance.

Ash will have to rectify that problem. Falcon can get even stronger and Articuno has to learn how to battle.

A familiar 'ding!' sound signified the catch and the Cherish Ball soon returned to Ash's hand and he placed the ball on his belt. Afterwards, he rushed to his Talonflame and began to use his aura to heal as much as he could, "I'll return you after I'm done, alright? Rest up. I'll restore you with Brock's healing machine after this."

Falcon nodded before growing sleepy, " _Thanks Ash… I'll take a nap now._ " With that, the massive shiny Talonflame fell down towards the ground and was caught by a Greninja, placing it down more carefully.

Ash simply did his duty as a trainer and began to heal up the Talonflame. His aura healed most internal injuries from the heavy rocks that hit him and small cuts were healed by some small amount of Oran Berry Paste.

The trainer soon returned his Pokémon and his grin was still on his face, "I can't believe we did it you guys!"

" _Yeah!_ " " _I know._ " "It really was an awesome battle." _"It showed raw power but no skill. It's best to solve that, Ash._ " " _Heh, that's Falcon for you." "It was amazing!"_

Ash wanted to hug his entire team and cheer, but he had to return to the entrance soon or Brock and Caitlin will worry for him. "Let's get back to the entrance. Glacia, you can stay out and enjoy the cold if you want," Ash offered.

Glacia nodded gratefully and the shiny Aurorus bent down as a way to tell Ash to get on. Seeing that, Ash quickly returned his Pokémon other than Pikachu and Glacia and hopped on. Pikachu simply jumped onto Ash's shoulder.

Time for the next adventure… with a new family member. A troublesome one, that is.

* * *

The group met up with each other at the entrance of the cave. Caitlin was already dressed for the warmer weather and Brock had his usual outfit on. Ash joined them soon afterwards and the group talked about the results of their little adventure.

Brock began with his tale, "It was empty for me and eventually a dead end. A shame, but I did manage to find a Pokémon to join me. It was being bullied by three Sneasel, who probably intended to eat him afterwards. It's a Cubchoo," Brock began and then shrugged. "Afterwards, I trained my team to resist the cold and let the rock-types eat some crystals in this area for a new experience."

The other two nodded with a smile and Caitlin began, "I ended up near a lake filled with various Pokémon. There were Lapras, Sneasel, Seel, Shellder… All kinds of ice and water types rested at that place. It was really interesting to see. I simply asked for a challenge to see who'd like to join me and met up with Seel. I had a little battle with her and Litleo which was new to me because I'd forgotten the old days where battles were harder… It reminds me that I've gotten a little arrogant and too satisfied where I am. I need to get stronger. I eventually captured Seel and took a rest there, playing with some of the Pokémon and learning a little about the few psychic type Pokémon I could see there."

Ash had a large grin on his face. "Falcon battled a Pokémon I'd captured. It's an Articuno."

Brock and Caitlin's eyes widened in amazement before they smiled happily for their friend. ""Good job Ash!""

"Have you let it out yet?" Brock asked.

Ash shook his head, "I don't think I will until I've gotten to a Pokémon Center. The Articuno is really arrogant according to Falcon and I could see that. My Pokémon expect it to be an uphill battle to even train the Articuno, let alone command it during battle."

"Ouch… Well, at least you know the trouble of us normal trainers now," Caitlin winked in a playful manner.

"Hmph. You filthy commoners can't be as good as me," Ash spoke in a playful, snobbish manner.

Brock chuckled heartily. "Let's heal up Falcon and leave this place. Where to next?" He asked.

Ash thought about it before shrugging. "Pallet Town. Afterwards I will train for a bit and see if I can challenge the Viridian Gym. If it's not open, I'll train at Mt. Silver and ask if Gary and Leaf would like to tag along. You two as well, of course!" Ash grinned.

Brock chuckled, "Sounds fair to me. I'll have to leave every now and then to get supplies though."

Caitlin nodded in agreement with that statement, "I'll have to get my other Pokémon so I can train everyone equally."

Ash thought about it for a moment, "If you do, please call Entei as well. Articuno will no doubt be a pain to raise."

"Sure, Ash." Caitlin gave her friend a smile before looking at Brock, "How about a meal and then recover our Pokémon?"

"Sounds good to me," Brock agreed.

* * *

After a healthy meal, some rest and their Pokémon being recovered the group took a smooth ride on Talonflame towards Pallet Town.

The trip, overall, took little time. They were pretty closeby and there were no flying types around to stop them. They landed in Professor Oak's ranch around nighttime when the sky was full of stars. This naturally attracted the old professor's Dragonite, but that dragon smiled at the sight of his 'students'.

" _Dra,_ " or in other words, " _Yo._ "

"Hey Dragonite! How're you doing?" Ash greeted as his Talonflame and Pikachu soon walked towards the old dragon. They all began chatting and Ash saw the need to let out his team for a break. They might need to get used to this place too, because they'll eventually come here when he gets over the capture limit.

"Come out everyone," _except Articuno,_ "This is Professor Oak's Ranch. After I get over the capture limit, I might need one of you to stay here and if you do, you might as well find a place to call 'yours'. Why don't you all search for one?"

They all let out a cry of agreement before rushing off.

"Let's go inside you two," Ash called out to his friends as he walked towards the lab. He knew this place like the back of his hand.

"This is a nice place," Brock commented with admiration. Every Pokémon looked well cared for and he could see that this entire ranch had areas for all types of Pokémon.

Caitlin remained silent but admired the sight as well.

The walk was other than Brock asking some questions, silent. They reached the door to the lab and before Ash could even open it, it was pushed open revealing Professor Oak with a giddy face.

"Ash! Ash my boy! You really did it, didn't you, you little rascal! You actually captured a legendary Pokémon!" Samuel Oak exclaimed in joy.

Ash chuckled a little nervously, "I did professor. I don't want to let it out yet though. I can't even scan it at the moment. It's really arrogant and will no doubt react violently if I were to let her out."

Oak's face turned serious before giving a solemn nod, "I can agree with you there. But I know you'll make it happen," _out of experience_ , "Let's get you inside. Your mother will no doubt be happy to see you. Oh, and the Delibird you've captured has been sent to Delia as well. She's smitten with him you know," the professor chuckled.

"Alright. Thank you professor," Ash smiled with joy. The group then began to head to Ash's house. They were all ready for a nice, hot meal that Ash often boasted of and a pleasant sleep. It's a good thing that Ash's house has a few extra rooms for sleepovers.

 _Home at last. The Chosen One has returned and what will happen next? Will he challenge the Viridian Gym Leader, or will he train and focus on the league?_ _Will something else happen? Perhaps it will - or it may not._

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this far! I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and I'll start working on the next one. It might not be next week, but I'll do my best to make some time to finish it as soon as possible.**

 **Some thought I wouldn't give Ash an Articuno, but I did. It'll be an experience that he needs because Ash, so far in this story, has barely had any 'troubles' with raising Pokémon. Experience makes one grow and this will be a precious one - especially with a legendary.** **You will each see why in the future.**

 **What do you guys think about Brock and Caitlin's captures? Also, what might you like as a nickname for Articuno?** **Feel free to tell me!**

 **On another note, I've been writing a bunch of other types of fics. Various anime have been written and I might - might - attempt an upload but I'm leaning to not doing so. This is also something that distracted me from writing this chapter.**

 **I have also written a story about Ash being abandoned as a baby. A baby that was then raised by the wild Pokémon that live in Celebi's forest; you know which one if you're a fan of the movies.**

 **Ash will have no special abilities. He will be a trainer that does his best and learn from his mistakes. He'll be a tough trainer but a cheerful and slightly naive, if not a little on the stupid side, child out of it. He won't be raised by humans making him have a few questionable habits, but that's the interesting part is it not?**

 **He has a powerful team to start with, but decides to make them 'leaders' of his family so that he can capture more and have each of them take care of their future 'group'. He even captured a Celebi! I've finished a few of the chapters and if a friend of mine has read through them, I'd like to upload it. It's a head's up for any who might be interested in proofreading or giving some criticism about that story. If you do, PM me since I'd love some commentary on it.**

 **PS: Giovanni's his dad. He's a cool dad in it.**

 **Now, I'll start working on the next chapter. I need some time to plan it out, but I'll make the wait worth it. I've received a few PMs to help me out while working on this story and I'll try my best to make the experience of reading this story a good one for everyone!**

 **As always, I hope you place a review about mistakes, criticism or a comment if I did something good so I can increase the quality of this story.**

 **Lezaroth signing out!**


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